Not to be confused with Edward Grigg, 1st Baron Altrincham.
| The Right HonourableSir James GriggKCB KCSI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of State for War | |
| In office 22 February 1942 – 26 July 1945 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | David Margesson |
| Succeeded by | Jack Lawson |
| Member of Parliament for Cardiff East | |
| In office 13 April 1942 – 15 June 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Owen Temple-Morris |
| Succeeded by | Hilary Marquand |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1890-12-16)16 December 1890 Exmouth, Devon |
| Died | 5 May 1964(1964-05-05) (aged 73) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
Sir Percy James Grigg, KCB, KCSI, PC (16 December 1890 – 5 May 1964), often referred to as P J Grigg and later better known as Sir James Grigg, was a British civil servant who was unexpectedly moved, at the behest of then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill, from being the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the War Office to become Secretary of State for War, the political head of the same department during the Second World War.
Background and education
The son of Frank Alfred Grigg, a carpenter, James Grigg was born in Exmouth and won a scholarship to Bournemouth School and St John's College, Cambridge where he studied mathematics, achieving first-class honours in both parts of his tripos.
Career in civil service
Grigg came first in the civil service examination in 1913, and commenced work at the Treasury. During and after the First World War he served successive Chancellors including Winston Churchill. Grigg then became Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise and Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue. In 1934, he was transferred to New Delhi, India where he became Finance Member of the Government of India in anticipation of limited self-rule that began in 1935. He remained in New Delhi until 1939, and afterward continued to influence British imperial policies on India, especially after his patron Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. Grigg became Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War in 1939; he oversaw a turbulent department, which in 1940 witnessed no fewer than four different Secretaries of State for War (Leslie Hore-Belisha, Oliver Stanley, Anthony Eden and David Margesson).
Secretary of State for War
Grigg proved an effective departmental head, but it came as a great shock to many when in February 1942 Churchill dismissed Margesson and replaced him with Grigg – who had to convey the news to Margesson himself. Amongst the many Ministerial appointments made by Churchill from outside the sphere of Westminster politics, this was seen as one of the most unusual, but was a response to considerable military setbacks such as the fall of Singapore, and the need to appease critics by replacing some ministers. Grigg retained his post for the rest of the war, holding it also in Churchill's 1945 "Caretaker Government". In 1942 he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff East, beating Fenner Brockway. Alan Brooke the wartime Army CIGS said that with PJ he had the "best and most valuable advice on any matter I discussed with him" (unlike Lawson, who replaced Grigg).
But in the 1945 general election Grigg lost his seat, and retired from public life.
Later life
In his later years Grigg held many directorships, including those of the Imperial Tobacco Company, the Prudential Assurance Company, the National Provincial Bank and the Distillers Company. In 1946, he became the first British executive director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He died on 5 May 1964, aged 73.
Family
He married Gertrude Charlotte Hough, daughter of the Reverend George Frederick Hough, in July 1919. The marriage was childless.
Memoir
- Grigg, James. Prejudice and Judgment. Jonathan Cape, 1948.
References
- Sir Raymond Streat (1987). Lancashire and Whitehall: The Diary of Sir Raymond Streat. Manchester University Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-7190-2390-3. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- Alanbrooke, Field Marshal Lord (2001). War Diaries 1939–1945. Phoenix Press. p. 721. ISBN 1-84212-526-5.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by P. J. Grigg
- Newspaper clippings about James Grigg in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byOwen Temple-Morris | Member of Parliament for Cardiff East 1942–1945 |
Succeeded byHilary Marquand |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded bySir Herbert Creedy | Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War 1939–1942 |
Succeeded bySir Frederick Bovenschen Sir Eric Speed |
| Preceded byDavid Margesson | Secretary of State for War 1942–1945 |
Succeeded byJack Lawson |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded bySir Francis Floud | Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise 1930 |
Succeeded bySir Edward Forber |
- 1890 births
- 1964 deaths
- Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Chairmen of the Board of HM Customs and Excise
- Chairmen of the Board of Inland Revenue
- Civil servants in HM Treasury
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
- Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
- Members of the Council of the Governor General of India
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cardiff constituencies
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Military personnel from Devon
- Ministers in the Churchill caretaker government, 1945
- Ministers in the Churchill wartime government, 1940–1945
- People educated at Bournemouth School
- People from Exmouth
- Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for War
- Private secretaries in the British Civil Service
- Royal Artillery officers
- Secretaries of state for war (UK)
- UK MPs 1935–1945
- War Office personnel in World War II