Description Sir John Christopher Willoughby, Baronet (1859-1918)Sir John Christopher Willoughby was Leander Starr Jameson’s military advisor on the disastrous Jameson Raid of 1895/96. The Raid – largely forgotten today – heralded a turning point in the fortunes of the British Empire. Willoughby led an outstandingly eventful life, playing a part in the Occupation of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and in half a dozen colonial wars. During the Great War and in his late fifties he pioneered the use of armoured cars in East Africa. An inveterate gambler and detested as a profiteer, Sir John was also erudite, generous and principled. And if there is one thing you should know it is that he was hugely well-connected. He may also be remembered as the owner of a horse that won the 1884 Epsom Derby in a dead heat.Arguably the Baronet’s greatest impact on Rhodesia was on its commercial and industrial development. Latterly, he made a fortune, and lost it in a futile search for diamonds.The author of this biography, following the trail, writing as an archivist and oral historian, tries to avoid value judgements as the story of Sir John and his very different world emerges from the records. He leaves readers to form their own opinions. Across a varied career in Zimbabwe, Australia and England, Digby Hartridge held posts as archivist, lecturer, parliamentary librarian and public librarian. His grandfather worked at one stage for Sir John Willoughby.
