Christopher St John# WRIGHT

  General Notes:

Christopher St John Wright (known as 'St John' to avoid confusion with his father) was born in Islington in 1887 and was educated (like his brothers) at Felsted School, Essex - his father being the local doctor. At Felsted he excelled at Athletics (track and cross country), but appears to have been less academically inclined (although he finished top in his year in Science in the Lower V). In adult life he worked on tea and rubber plantations in Ceylon and Malaya, the evidence appears to suggest that he went into this line of work straight from school (apparantely starting immediately as a Plantation Manager). His wife died young at which point his only child Ann was sent back to the UK to live with her grandmother whilst Christopher continued to live in the East, although he appears to have visited the UK fairly regularly. At a relatively young age Christopher became seriously ill (Cancer of the Tongue) and returned to live in the UK in a property he owned in Pimlico (which was split up into flats). He died in 1940 aged 52, three months before his daughters wedding.

For pictures from his photo album see the 'George-Powell etc.' annexe from the main page on this site.
Have another photo of him with his brother George (on the right) taken by Hellis & Sons, London - see under his brother George.

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Research etc.
Apparantely he was always known in the family as 'St John' (presumably to avoid confusion with his father).

Found birth record on ancestry.

1891 Census (age 4) is living with parents and siblings at St.Mary Islington Workhouse Infirmary, where father is supervising surgeon & GP.

1901 census (age 14) living in Felsted Village, Essex with parents and 2 brothers.

Education; Felsted School
From Old Felstedian Alumni Register (as at 1931);
Wright, Christopher St.John (Monts House) Jan 1897 - July 1906.12 Bedford Avenue, Bexhill-on-sea, Sussex. Prefect. Master of Runs.
From later edition of Felstedian Alumni Register; Jan 1897 - July 1906. Prefect. Formerly Rubber Planting in Ceylon and Malaya. Died Jan 29 1940.
SMP; He was actually in Clark's House (after Rev RB Clark who was presumably housemaster) which appears to have been renamed Mont's (Montgomery's) after a subsequent housemaster who served 1909 to 1934.
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Later more from Old Felsteadians;
From "Form Orders" for the period;
In the Lower Fifth for the Spring term 1905, Wright averaged 13th out of 19 in all subjects except Science, where he was top.
In July 1906, Lower Sixth, he was 16th in Scripture, 8= in Latin, 2nd in Greek, 10th in English and 14th in Maths. Greek Curriculum was Sophocles: Antigone and Thucydides book 4, 1-60.

Felstedians Magazine;
Light-weight boxing on March 14th 1906 "Lees (A) beat Wright (D). In the first round Wright unfortunately hurt his shoulder and was obliged to retire."

2 days later was the "Gordon Cooke" Cross-Country on March 16th 1906, Lyle won again, beating Wright into third place behind another called Sidky, again .. "The finish was an excellent one, the first three being within 30 yards of one another, and eight runners past the post within a minute of the winner." ... "Wright, too, ran with great pluck. He had put his shoulder out on Wednesday, and must have been in considerable pain the whole way.".

Wright won the steeplchases in 1904 and 1905 and was set to win for the third consecutive year on March 12th 1906. Page 38 of the magazine records the thrilling finish between him and Lyle ... "For most of the way Wright led, but at times the first three were running practically level. Lyle cleared the big jump, and by doing so gained considerably on his two companions, who did not; but from there to the Mill they ran in a bunch. Coming across the plough for home Wright at first gained a decided lead ... once on the road Lyle spurted, and with Wright unable to respond passed the post a winner by ten yards."

Page 51 records for Monday April 2nd 1906 "One Mile for Challenge Cup";
1: C.StJ. Wright, 2: R.C. Lyle, 3:E.S. Chetwood. Time: 4 min 49 sec. By far the best performance of the Sports. The school record is 4 min 41sec, and Wright's is the only other time on record under 4 min 50 sec.

In the previous year, 1905, the steeplchase was run on March 20th. Wright "came home an easy winner in 23 min 32.6 sec, with Lyle a good second." .. "in conclusion we must congratulate Wright on his second consecutive win, which was none the less creditable because it was expected."

p 46, March 1905: "C.St.J. Wright has been made a House Prefect.

1905 April 5th, Sports: One Mile Open: 1: Wright 2: Taylor 3: Chetwood. Time 5 m 0 sec. "There was much excitement over this race, for which six entered. Wright at once made the pace ... Wright led at the end by nearly 50 yards."
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Career; Tea & Rubber Planter - Ceylon.
From Pam; Rubber Planter outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
Old Felsteadian; Rubber Planter - Ceylon and Malaya - so fairly conclusive that it was both locations.

Transactions of the Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1907 "The 180 coolies were divided into two lots and mustered each day separately, the Manager, Mr.C.St John Wright, kindly maintaining the numbers as nearly as equal as possible. Each lot was fed, at the estate's expense, with hot curry and rice each morning" But was he REALLY a plantation manager immediately after leaving school ?

1914; Strait Times;4 March 1914: Homeward Bound P 7 O Mr St John Wright

1917 Strait Times; 6 Feb 1917 M & Mrs C St John Wright of Kent Estate have left for home.
1917; Was on the SS Maru with Violet, embarked at Penang and disembarked London 26 March 1917 which means Violet was eight months pregnant. UK address was given as 12 Bedford Avenue Bexhill.
1917; on Anne's birth cert. he gives occupation as Rubber Planter, and address as 10 Mitten Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.
1917 Strait Times; 25 September 1917 Mr C St John Wright has returned to Kuala Lumpar from leave.

1920; On passenger list for the Kumano Maru - departed London on 4 Dec 1920 'Wright Christopher, St John - Planter, Aged 33'. Contracted to land at Singapore, final destination Federal Malay States. Ann and Violet not with him.

1924; He came back from Malay on SS Kashima Maru and arrived London July 1924 - again 12 Bedford Avenue. His address in Malay is given as Ipoh

1924; Travelling back to Singapore en route for Malaysia on 22 November 1924- UK address was 12 Bedford Avenue Bexhill.

1926; He came back from Malay on SS Glenapp arriving 13 December 1926.

Strait Times 1930; 28 May 1930 Slow Mail - Atlantic Liners wanted on Pacific Ocean. Writing in the Daily News of complaints from Malaya of slow mail services Mr St John Wright says. "I should like to see one or two of our fastest Atlantic liners slicing the days off the Indian Ocean run...."

In “United Empire, Volume 21” (1930) By Royal Commonwealth Society there is a list of names inc ‘C. St.John Wright’. The next list is of people in Singapore, so presumably he’s in the Malay list or similar.

Came back from India ill (cancer of the tongue), died living in London (address on death cert is 64 Tachbrook Street, Westminster (actually Pimlico SW1)). He owned this property and it was split up into flats - one of which he lived in, and the rest were rented out.

Ann remembers visiting him at the flats before he died.

From Death Cert; brother Arthur was the informant of Christopher's death.

Here http://compassweb.arkib.gov.my/search_details.php?id=1957/0193402&state=W there is a reference on a Malaysian website to the passport of a Mr C.St.John Wright ??

MTG-P has certificate thus ; "Hendon Park Cemetery, Mill Hill, N.W.7 giving grave number - ie: Christopher St.John Wright, no. of grave 49025. G.4. The reverse side of this certificate says the cemetery is situated within about 200 yards of Mill Hill East Station, on the L.N.E.Railway and is 12 minutes' walk from Finchley, - Church End Station, L.N.E.Railway.
Emailed Barnet Council and rec'd the following;
"The funeral took place on Monday 5th July 1940, we did not keep a record of date of death in those days.
He was 52yrs of age and died at St. Columbus Hospital, it does not say in the register where this hospital is situated, although it must have been somewhere in the Hampstead area as that is where the death was registered.
The service was conducted by a Rev. F.J. Mortimer, and the funeral directors were a company called Crowe of Hampstead who no longer exist.
The grave does not have a memorial and would now be just a flat area of grass which is maintained by the cemetery staff in the general cutting of the grounds."

Christopher married Violet Mabel# GRIFFITHS, daughter of Stephen Lewis# GRIFFITHS and Katharine Isabel# POWIS. (Violet Mabel# GRIFFITHS was born Q2 1889 in Lambeth/Camberwell, London, christened on 29 Apr 1889 in Christ Church, Gypsy Hill, Lambeth and died on 29 Jan 1924 in Darjeeling, India.)