John Hunter Knox was born at Britas near Thurles in Ireland, the home of his father Lt-Col William Knox, 13th Lt Dragoons. He entered the army as a cornet on 3 Mar 1858 and was promoted to Lieutenant on 8 Feb 1861. He transferred to the 14th Hussars in 1861 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding officer, on 15 June 1881 but he died suddenly of liver disease at Secunderabad on 24 Oct 1885.
