1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Grierson, Sir James Moncrieff

GRIERSON, SIR JAMES MONCRIEFF (1859–1914), British general, was born Jan. 27 1859 and joined the Royal Artillery in 1877. Noted from the outset as an exceptionally keen student of his profession, he served on the staff in the Egyptian Expedition of 1882 and the Suakin Expedition of 1885, and again, having in the meantime passed through the Staff College, in the Hazara Expedition of 1888 (for the latter campaign he was in 1895 promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel). From 1896 to 1900 he was military attaché at Berlin. As a colonel he was with Lord Roberts during the advance from Bloemfontein into the Transvaal; but he was then transferred to China to act as British military representative on the staff of Field-Marshal Count Waldersee, commander-in-chief of the Allied forces against the Boxers. For his services he was given the C.B.

In 1904 he was appointed Director of Military Operations and promoted major-general, and he held command of the 1st Div. at Aldershot from 1906–10. Promoted lieutenant-general in 1910 and made a K.C.B. in 1911, he was in 1912 put in charge of the Eastern Command. On the outbreak of the World War Sir J. Grierson was selected for the command of the II. Army Corps. He proceeded to France, but died suddenly on Aug. 17 while his troops were still assembling in the area of operations. A good linguist and unusually well acquainted with most of the European armies, Grierson had taken full advantage of his varied military experience, and had shown himself well fitted for high command in the field.