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Charles W. H. Douglas

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Sir Charles Douglas
General Sir Charles W. H. Douglas
Born(1850-07-17)17 July 1850
Cape of Good Hope,South Africa
Died25 October 1914(1914-10-25)(aged 64)
London,England
Buried
Kensal Green Cemetery
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1869–1914
RankGeneral
Unit92nd Highlanders
Commands heldChief of the Imperial General Staff
Southern Command
2nd Division
1st Infantry Brigade
9th Infantry Brigade
Battles/warsSecond Anglo-Afghan War
First Boer War
Suakin Expedition
Second Boer War
First World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Mentioned in Despatches

GeneralSir Charles Whittingham Horsley Douglas,GCB,ADC(17 July 1850 – 25 October 1914) was aBritish Armyofficer who served in theSecond Anglo-Afghan War,theFirst Boer War,theSuakin Expedition,theSecond Boer Warand theFirst World War.He wasChief of the Imperial General Staffduring the first three months of the First World War but died from strain and overwork without having any meaningful influence on the outcome of the war.

Military career

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Douglas was born the son of William Douglas and Caroline Douglas (née Hare), at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.[1]He was educated privately,[1]and commissioned as anensignin the92nd Highlanderson 16 December 1869.[2]He was promoted tolieutenanton 28 October 1871[3]and became adjutant of the 92nd Highlanders on 31 December 1876.[4]

The Battle of Kandahar, in which Douglas took part, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War

Douglas served in theSecond Anglo-Afghan Warand, having been promoted tocaptainon 29 July 1880,[5]participated in the 320 mile march fromKabultoKandaharin Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the command ofGeneral Frederick Roberts,earning theKabul to Kandahar Star.[1]He also took part in theBattle of Kandaharon 1 September 1880 and wasmentioned in despatches.[6]

Douglas also served in theFirst Boer Warbetween 1880 and 1881 and was again mentioned in despatches.[1]Promoted to brevetmajoron 1 March 1881,[7]he became adjutant of his regiment again on 25 February 1882.[8]He went on theSuakin ExpeditiontoSudanin 1884 and became Deputy Assistant-Adjutant and Quartermaster-General on the Staff in Egypt on 6 March 1885.[9]He then returned to England to become adjutant of7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Rifle Volunteerson 1 November 1886.[10]Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 28 November 1890,[11]he was appointed brigade major to the1st Infantry Brigadein 1893.[1]

Promoted tolieutenant colonelon 29 May 1895,[12]Douglas became Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General atAldershot Commandon 1 October 1895[13]and Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot Command with the rank of brevetcolonelon 28 March 1898.[14]He was madeAide-de-Camptothe Queenon 11 May 1898[15]and given the substantive rank of colonel on 18 May 1898.[16]

Douglas served in theSecond Boer Warfrom 1899 until early 1901. He was initially Assistant Adjutant-General on the Headquarters staff in South Africa from 9 October 1899,[17]then served as ADC and Chief of Staff toLord Methuen,theGeneral Officer Commanding1st Division.[1]It was in this role he took part in theBattle of Modder River(November 1899) and theBattle of Magersfontein(10–11 December 1899), in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. Douglas was mentioned in the despatch from Lord Methuen describing the battle.[18]He was promoted to the local rank ofmajor generaland made Commander of the9th Infantry Brigadeon 10 February 1900,[19][20]shortly before theRelief of Kimberley.Following theSiege of Mafeking,Douglas was appointed Commander ofMafekingand the adjacent district on 28 August 1900.[21]The rank of major-general was confirmed for "distinguished service in the field" in early 1901 (but dated to the initial appointment on 10 February 1900).[22]

Scene from the Siege of Mafeking, at which Douglas commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade, during the Second Boer War

After returning to England, he became Commander of1st Infantry BrigadeatAldershot Garrisonon 31 October 1901[23]and General Officer Commanding2nd DivisionwithinFirst Army Corpson 1 April 1902.[24][25]He becameAdjutant-General to the Forceson 12 February 1904.[26]At this time theEsher Committeechaired byLord Esherwas proposing far reaching changes to the structure of the British Army including the creation of a "blue ribbon" elite drawn strictly from the General Staff to the exclusion of Administrative Staff:[27]Douglas strongly opposed this aspect of the proposals.[1]

Having been promoted tolieutenant generalon 3 April 1905,[28]he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief atSouthern Commandon 1 June 1909.[29]He took part in the funeral procession following the death ofKing Edward VIIin May 1910[30]and, having been promoted togeneralon 31 October 1910,[31]became Inspector-General of Home Forces on 5 March 1912.[32]He was also Colonel of theGordon Highlandersfrom 25 June 1912.[33]

Douglas replaced Field MarshalSir John FrenchasChief of the Imperial General Staffon 6 April 1914.[34]Douglas served in that role during theFirst World War,which started in August 1914, but did not have any major impact on its conduct during the first three months, leaving strategic control to Field MarshalLord Kitcheneras War Minister.[1]He becameAide-de-Camp Generaltothe Kingon 30 June 1914.[35]

Douglas, who had not been in the best of health, died from strain and overwork at his home at Eaton Square inLondonon 25 October 1914 and was replaced by GeneralSir James Murray.[1]He was buried inKensal Green Cemetery(Plot 188, Path Side, Grave 44434).[36]

Family

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In 1887 Douglas married Ida de Courcy (née Gordon); they had no children.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijSpiers, Edward (2004)."Sir Charles Whittingham Horsley Douglas".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32870.Retrieved3 February2012.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^"No. 23565".The London Gazette.14 December 1869. p. 7072.
  3. ^"No. 23789".The London Gazette.27 October 1871. p. 4387.
  4. ^"No. 24429".The London Gazette.6 March 1877. p. 1901.
  5. ^"No. 24876".The London Gazette.24 August 1880. p. 4626.
  6. ^"No. 24909".The London Gazette.3 December 1880. p. 6535.
  7. ^"No. 24944".The London Gazette.1 March 1881. p. 977.
  8. ^"No. 25075".The London Gazette.24 February 1882. p. 771.
  9. ^"No. 25475".The London Gazette.2 June 1885. p. 2532.
  10. ^"No. 25634".The London Gazette.15 October 1886. p. 5010.
  11. ^"No. 26113".The London Gazette.9 December 1890. p. 6922.
  12. ^"No. 26629".The London Gazette.28 May 1895. p. 3084.
  13. ^"No. 26669".The London Gazette.8 October 1895. p. 5523.
  14. ^"No. 26954".The London Gazette.5 April 1898. p. 2212.
  15. ^"No. 26965".The London Gazette.10 May 1898. p. 2893.
  16. ^"No. 26967".The London Gazette.17 May 1898. p. 3049.
  17. ^"No. 27126".The London Gazette.13 October 1899. p. 6178.
  18. ^"No. 27174".The London Gazette.16 March 1900. pp. 1785–1787.
  19. ^"Latest intelligence – The War, Western frontier".The Times.No. 36065. London. 14 February 1900. p. 5.
  20. ^"No. 27188".The London Gazette.1 May 1900. p. 2760.
  21. ^"No. 27282".The London Gazette.8 February 1901. p. 870.
  22. ^"No. 27306".The London Gazette.19 April 1901. p. 2703.
  23. ^"No. 27377".The London Gazette.15 November 1901. p. 7396.
  24. ^"No. 27434".The London Gazette.16 May 1902. p. 3254.
  25. ^"No. 27442".The London Gazette.13 June 1902. p. 3900.
  26. ^"No. 27646".The London Gazette(Supplement). 12 February 1904. p. 1011.
  27. ^Samuels, Martin (1995).Command or Control – Command, Training and Tactics in the British and German Armies 1888–1918 "p. 40.ISBN9780714645704.Retrieved4 February2012.
  28. ^"No. 27781".The London Gazette.4 April 1905. p. 2548.
  29. ^"No. 28256".The London Gazette.1 June 1909. p. 4160.
  30. ^"No. 28401".The London Gazette(Supplement). 26 July 1910. p. 5481.
  31. ^"No. 28433".The London Gazette.4 November 1910. p. 7908.
  32. ^"No. 28587".The London Gazette.5 March 1912. p. 1663.
  33. ^"No. 28633".The London Gazette.6 August 1912. p. 5854.
  34. ^"No. 28819".The London Gazette.7 April 1914. p. 3002.
  35. ^"No. 28845".The London Gazette.30 June 1914. p. 5070.
  36. ^"Casualty record, Charles Whittingham Horsley Douglas".CWGC Debt of Honour Register.Retrieved20 August2016.
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding2nd Division
1902–1904 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Adjutant-General to the Forces
1904–1909 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC-in-C Southern Command
1909–1912 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir John French
(as Inspector-General of the Forces)
 Inspector General of the Home Forces
1912–1914 		Succeeded by
Sir Ian Hamilton
(as C-in-C Home Army)
Preceded by
Sir John French
 Chief of the Imperial General Staff
1914 		Succeeded by
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