1892
Born
1900
Rottingdean Prep School, Sussex
1905
Scholarship to Rugby School
1910
Scholarship to St John College, Oxford to read Greats (course focused on classics – ancient Rome, ancient Greece, Latin, ancient Greek and philosophy).
JK was expected to get a First at Oxford but because he was suffering from glandular fever, he did not do as well as expected.
1912
After Oxford, JK was asked to tutor a boy for his common entrance exam for Eton at an estate near Forfar. One afternoon the family including JK were invited to lunch with neighbours at Glamis Castle. After lunch JK was dispatched under the guidance of the youngest daughter of the castle for a conducted tour (this was probably the future Queen Mother).
1913
After Oxford JK went to Heidelberg to read languages
1914
Indian Civil Service Exam
Enlisted in London Scottish Regiment.
JK was detailed by his father to go to India and do the job he had trained for, in Edward’s words “you have two brothers already serving”. JK was walking down the Haymarket in London to go to the India Office to collect his papers when he was handed a white feather. He joined the London Scottish Regiment in 1915 and was commissioned into the Suffolk Regiment and in 1916 transferred to the newly formed Tank Regiment.
1915
Transfer to the Suffolk Regiment
1916
Transferred to Tank Regiment
1919
JK went to Burma and served in various postings throughout Burma. Appointed to the Indian Civil Service.
1920
Married Evelyn (neé Hirst) who was a widow from the war.
1922
On June 22 Christopher John Neil was born. Somewhere between 1922 and 1925 JK and Evelyn separated.
1925
After Evelyn and JK separated, Neil was taken to live with his grandmother Caroline Stanford, widow of Edward at The Stone House, Aldingham, Suffolk. When Evelyn and Layton (her future husband) decided to go to America (where apparently divorce was much easier than in the UK), Evelyn asked if it would be possible for her to have a weekend with her son before she left for America. The lawyers agreed so long as the nanny went too. On the Saturday the nanny was told to go and have a lovely day as Evelyn and Layton were going to take Neil to the Zoo. Later the nanny returned to the hotel and there was no sign of Neil, Evelyn or Layton. The nanny returned to The Stone House and after questioning it was discovered that Neil had been taken to America.
When Evelyn arrived in America she was met by the legal authorities, as she was taking into the USA an infant under Ward of Court of the British Empire. At that time divorce laws were stricter and a father was in a stronger position. In any event there was a presumption to the father, reinforced in this case. Evelyn risked losing her son.
1926/27
JK joined ship at Port Said on route to Rangoon after six months leave in the UK.
On board JK met a 25 year old girl, Eleanor, travelling to Colombo to stay with her brother. By the time they got to Colombo they were engaged. Eleanor (daughter of Dr & Mrs David Davies) remained in Colombo for a few weeks before sailing back the UK to explain her plans to her parents.
1927
Eleanor sailed back to Burma and was married in the Church of Scotland in Rangoon to JK
1934
During 1934 John and Eleanor were on six months leave from Burma at a rented house at Morsted near Winchester where their daughter Penelope was born on 4 September 1934.
In the winter of 1934 they sailed back to Burma and spent the next three years at Mytchikana in the foothills of the Himalayas.
1937
JK and Eleanor returned to the UK as Eleanor was expecting another child. They lived first on the Isle of Wight and then in Winchester where on 11 April 1937 James was born.
1938
The family were expected to return to Burma but JK was very concerned about the political situation both in Burma and in Europe.
JK purchased Stantons Farm, Kingsclere, Hampshire.
JK returned to Burma to lead the Vernay/Cutting Expedition up the Chindwin Valley where he was allegedly the first non-native to venture.
1939
JK returned to the UK and was somewhat economical about his age and served throughout the Second World War. His son Neil served and was captured in 1942 spending most of his captivity as a PoW in Italy before being moved to Germany as the war drew to a close.
1940
Daughter Susan born 11 August 1940. JK was on the Staff in North Africa and after the North African Campaign He was attached to 21 Army Group and in due course spent the rest of the war dealing with administration of the area.
1945
The war was over but JK was still OC in the Ordnance Depot near Winchester.
1946
JK spent much time working to retain stability at Stanfords Maps, but the family did not seem interested and in due course the company was sold.
1947
JK had published a book called The Twelfth, almost a best seller, still published to this day. It is an amusing and satirical view of the shooting fraternity.
1948
During a shooting day, when JK was elsewhere, he was accused of “being no sportsman at all”. His friend instantly replied that JK would have been present but could not be as he was shooting elsewhere! This led him to write his book No sportsman at all.
1949
Following the accusation of being no sportsman at all, JK who had spent most of his life in various areas of sportsmanship, decided to fill in the gaps.
1949
Hunting in County Galway. JK and family spent a month staying in a spacious house with butler, cook and various maids. There was a stable full of horses and a mistress of Hounds and her husband who whipped in for her.
1950
JK was asked by the British Museum to undertake a survey of the birds of Cyrenaica at that time a British protectorate.
JK continued writing books and for magazines. Throughout his life JK was a contributor to the Blackwoods Magazine.
Towards the end of his life JK wrote for the Shooting Times.
JK continued to fill in all the “blanks” in his sporting library. He hunted with various different fox hounds and beagles also otter hounds. He and daughter Penelope also had many days hunting with the Devon and Somerset Stag Hounds (which he called the “Downhill and Somersault” in one of his books). He shot everywhere he could.
Frequently JK had a photographer with him to help with his articles for the Field Magazine. JK was, on occasions, asked to contribute to wildlife programmes on the radio before television existed.
1951
JK and his brother Morant discovered the return of the avocets in East Anglia, absent for 100 years.
JK kept on filling his love of all kinds of sports be it hunting and shooting and bird watching.
JK spent much time as a WATCHER over the osprey nests at Loch Garten. JK was asked to write the leading article for the Field (in those days a weekly magazine) for four weeks. He ended up working it for 14 years
1951/59
These were happy years for JK. He lived at Conebury House, West Amesbury, Wiltshire. JK spent much of these years writing both his articles for the Field Magazine and his books also researching various interests. He was also very pleased to be asked to help with the famous Partridge shoot at Lake in Wiltshire.
JK’s life was somewhat itinerate. After years 5 years in the army and 20 years with the Indian Civil Service in Burma, he found life somewhat confining and preferred freedom.
1959
JK and Eleanor decided to go their separate ways. JK became the first “new age traveller”.
1971
JK was living in Oxford and doing some research at the Bodleian Library. On leaving the Library in June, he fell, fractured his skull and had a stroke.
In September JK died aged 79.