Captain John Cuthbert DENISON-PENDER
General List attached to the War Office

Date of birth: 11th May 1882
Date of death: 4th December 1949

Died aged 67
Unknown
John Cuthbert Denison-Pender was born at 69 Elizabeth Street, Pimlico on the 11th of May 1882 the eldest son of Sir John Denison Denison-Pender CBE KCMG JP and Lady Beatrice Katherine (nee Ellison) Denison-Pender of 69 Elizabeth Street, Westminster in London.

He was educated at Hazelwood School until April 1896 where he was a member of the Football XI in 1895. The school magazine wrote the following of his 1895 football season: - "Uncertain and as a rule disappointing, very fast but never used his pace. As outside left, his pace and strength should have been most useful if properly used, and occasionally he put in some good work, but generally hugged the side and tried to centre too late."

When he left, the school magazine wrote: - "....goes to Eton has been a keen and useful athlete, a fast runner, a prominent member of the Football XI, and a good fencer,"

He went on to Eton College where he was in H. Macnaghten’s and H.W. Mozley’s houses leaving in 1899.

He joined the Eastern Telegraph Company, where his father was Managing Director, and passed through several of their branches including cable laying, eventually becoming Vice Chairman of the company.

On the 6th of February 1906 he was married to Irene (nee De la Rue); they had two sons, John Jocelyn born on the 26th of January 1907, Richard Ernest born on the 6th of November 1914 and a daughter, Gladys Gaynor, born on the 18th of December 1908.

In 1913 he won the Newmarket Division for the Unionists converting a minority of 399 into a majority of 851 and served as their Member of Parliament from 1913 to 1918. He also served on the London County Council representing South St Pancras from 1910 to 1919. He was a freemason and was admitted as a member of the Telegraph Cable Lodge on the 10th of November 1909.

On the outbreak of war he was sent to France where he served from the 6th of October 1914 as a Driver with No.1 Motor Ambulance Unit. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the British Red Cross on the Special List on the 23rd of February 1915. He was promoted to Temporary Captain on the 23rd of March 1915 and on October the 1st of the same year he transferred to the General List and was appointed as an Aide de Camp to Major General Hon. W. Lambton in the newly formed Machine Gun Corps, staying in France until July 1917. During 1916 he was recalled to London for a while to help run the government's legislative program from the War Office.

He wrote to Lieutenant Colonel R. Greene DSO at the War Office in a letter dated the 19th of November 1918: -

"Dear Sir, I have the honour to request that you will place this, my application to resign my commission, and to be returned to civil life as soon as possible, before the proper authorities. My reason for requesting this is that I feel that as a Member of Parliament, my time should now be devoted to Parliamentary affairs."

He was elected as Member of Parliament for Balham and Tooting in the December 1918 General Election, which he won with a majority of 8,821 serving until 1922. He resigned his commission on the 22nd of December 1918. He made a number of appearances for Balham Football Club.

On the 6th of December 1933 he was appointed as an Honorary Colonel in the 56th (1st London) Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals for a period of five years. On the 6th of December 1938 this was granted for a further five years. He was created as a hereditary Baron in the Coronation Honours List of the 12th of June 1937 and took the title Lord Pender of Porthcurnow, County Cornwall.He was Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director of Cable and Wireless Ltd and was Governor of Cable and Wireless Holdings from 1929 to 1945. He was also a director of the following companies, Eastern and South African Telegraph Co, West African Telegraph Co, Eastern Extension Telegraph Co, Trust Co Ltd, Direct Spanish Telegraph Co, River Plate Telegraph Co, London Platino-Brazilian Telegraph Co, Eastman Kodak, British-India Steam Navigation Company, National Provincial Bank, P&O, Pacific and European Telegraph Company, Indio European Telegraph Company and Northern Assurance Company.

He enjoyed shooting, motoring and rowing and was a member of the Garrick, Bath, Marlborough, Boodles and the Carlton Clubs and lived at 65 Eaton Place London SW1. He was succeeded to the Barony by his son, John Jocelyn Denison-Pender.

Went on to Eton College

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