Ethel St. Clair Grimwood (1867-1928)

Ethel St. Clair Grimwood in 1892

Ethel Brabazon Moore, was born in Muttra (Mathura), Uttar Pradesh, India on October 4th 1867. Her father, Charles William Moore, was a successful Anglo Irish merchant. Her mother, Margaret Emma, was also from the Ascendancy class, and life was good for the Moore's both in India (where Ethel was partially raised) and London, where they owned property.  In 1875 Ethel was sent to a boarding school in Hove, Sussex and stayed in England to complete her education. On  the 19th July 1887 Ethel married Frank St. Clair Grimwood at St Peters Church, Cranley Gardens, South Kensington (now called the Armenian Church of St Yeghiche, )

St Peters Church, Cranley Gardens, South Kensington

Frank & Ethel's Marriage certificate 1887

Grimwood was 13 years her senior, and had a promising career ahead in the Indian Civil Service. Barely 6 months later the couple embarked for India to take up a posting in a remote princely state on the Burmese border, called Manipur. Frank was to be the British Political Resident at the isolated capital, Imphal. His job would be to act  as an intermediary between the British government and the Maharajah of Manipur. Ethel's role would be as a hostess and housekeeper at the Residency. The British had been on friendly terms with the Independent state since the 1820's when East India Company troops helped the Manipuri's in their brutal war with the Burmese. By the time of the Grimwood's arrival, the old Maharajah had died and had been succeeded by one of his sons. The new ruler Surchandra, was supported by the British authorities in Calcutta, but was unpopular with his own people. Ethel's book, 'My Three Years In Manipur' (1891), documents his downfall and replacement by Kulachandra. 'My Three Years In Manipur' only deals with Ethel's own experiences and therefore you cannot gain an overall view of the situation, but it does act as an invaluable account of life in N.E. India during this period. The Grimwood's quickly became very good friends with the Manipuri royal family and it was rumoured that both Ethel and Frank had extra marital affairs during their posting. A vindictive letter to the authorities in Calcutta, from Surchandra, stated that Frank was involved with dancing girls and servants, and that Ethel had affairs with both Kulachandra and Lieutenant Grant, who was stationed close to Imphal. As you will read, Frank was speared to death following a badly mauled operation by the Chief Commissioner to arrest the Princes involved in the coup. This led to Ethel's escape from the burning residency to safety. Once home, she was feted as a true English heroine. She was awarded the Red Cross Medal by Queen Victoria and was the toast of London society for a brief period.
Although heartbroken by Franks death, Ethel remarried in April 1895, to Andrew Cornwall Miller. The couple emigrated to the USA in 1901 and settled in Oregon. Ethel Miller died aged 60 at Portland, Multnomah, Oregon on 11th August 1928.

3 Cranley Gardens, Kensington, where Ethel lived at the time of her marriage to Frank.

Although Ethel Grimwood is now almost forgotten (probably, due in part to the above mentioned scandals), her bravery and unflinching determination, undoubtedly saved the lives of the Gurkha's she guided to safety through enemy territory, until the relief force could reach them.