About John Nation
Lived 1874 – 1946 (aged 71). John Nation was a British engineer, military personnel and politician.
Brigadier-General John James Henry Nation, CVO, DSO (5 December 1874 – 5 November 1946) was a British Army officer who became a Conservative Party politician.
Career Nation was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 1 April 1895, and promoted to lieutenant on 1 April 1898. He served in the Second Boer War in South Africa from 1899 to 1902. He was first posted in the Orange Free State, including engagements at Vet River and Zand River; later in the Transvaal, where he was present at actions near Johannesburg and Pretoria, including the battles of Diamond Hill (June 1900) and Belfast (August 1900); and eventually in Cape Colony, south of the Orange River. Following the end of the war in June 1902, he left Cape Town for England on the SS Moravian in August 1902. He was stationed in Buncrana in 1903. and at the headquarter of Marshal Foch 1918–19. From 1927 to 1931 he was Military attaché Rome.
General Nation worked as a war correspondent with the BEF. In 1940 he became Zone Commander of the Home Guard (United Kingdom) until 1942.
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Important facts
People in John Nation's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was John Nation?
British politician (1874-1946)
When was John Nation born?
John Nation was born on 5 December 1874.
When did John Nation die?
John Nation died on 5 November 1946.
What was John Nation's occupation?
John Nation was an engineer, military personnel and politician.
What nationality was John Nation?
John Nation was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Nation. https://biography.guide/john-nation/
MLA: "John Nation." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-nation/.
Chicago: "John Nation." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-nation/.
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