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John Groves (journalist)

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John Groves
OBE, CB
Downing Street Press Secretary
In office
1963–1964
Prime MinisterAlec Douglas-Home
Preceded bySir Harold Evans
Succeeded byTrevor Lloyd-Hughes
Personal details
Born
John Dudley Groves

(1922-08-12)12 August 1922
Died26 December 2007(2007-12-26) (aged 85)
Wiltshire
Spouse
Pamela Holliday
​
(m. 1943)​
Children3
EducationSt Paul's school
OccupationJournalist
Civil servant
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of serviceuntil 1945
UnitReconnaissance regiment
Battles/warsWorld War II

John Dudley Groves (born 12 August 1922) was a British former journalist and civil servant who served as Downing Street Press Secretary under Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1964.[1][2][3]

Early Life

The youngest son of Walter Groves, founding editor of The Motor magazine, John Groves was educated at St Paul's school and would follow in his father's footsteps into journalism, joining the Richmond Herald as a reporter during the Blitz.[2] He subsequently enlisted in the army to fight in World War II as member of the Reconnaissance regiment.

Career

After demobilisation Groves returned to journalism and was a member of the Press Association parliamentary staff. He subsequently worked as deputy lobby correspondent for the Times newspaper from 1951 before leaving in 1958 to head up the press office at the Treasury.

After two years, in 1960, Groves was promoted to deputy press secretary to Harold Macmillan and was in the post during the time of the Profumo scandal. He then succeeded Sir Harold Evans to become press secretary to Sir Alec Douglas-Home when the latter became prime minister in October 1963. He vacated the post with the defeat of the Alec Douglas-Home at the October 1964 general election.

In later life he served as chief press officer at the Ministry of Defence,[4] the director general of the Central Office of Information and head of the Government Information Service. John Groves was awarded an OBE in the 1964 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours and Companion of the Bath in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours[5]. He retired in 1982 and was a founder of the Pewsey Vale Railway Society.[3]

Personal Life

Groves was married in 1943 to Pamela Holliday until her death in May 2007. The union bore two daughters and a son.[2]

References

  1. ^ Staff, Guardian (31 December 2007). "Former press secretary to Sir Alec Douglas-Home dies". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "John Groves". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Lives in Brief: Gavin D. R. Bridson and John Dudley Groves". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  4. ^ "The McGurk's Bar cover-up. Heath's Faustian pact. How a British prime minister covered up a UVF massacre in the hope of acquiring Unionist votes to enable the UK join the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the EU". Village Magazine. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Page 3 | Supplement 48639, 12 June 1981 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
Government offices
Preceded by Downing Street Press Secretary
1963–1964 		Succeeded by
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