Charles W. H. Douglas

Sir Charles Douglas
General Sir Charles W. H. Douglas
Born	(1850-07-17)17 July 1850 Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
Died	25 October 1914(1914-10-25) (aged 64) London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1869–1914
Rank	General
Unit	92nd Highlanders
Commands held	Chief of the Imperial General Staff Southern Command 2nd Division 1st Infantry Brigade 9th Infantry Brigade
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Afghan War First Boer War Suakin Expedition Second Boer War First World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in Despatches

General Sir Charles Whittingham Horsley Douglas GCB, ADC (17 July 1850 – 25 October 1914) was a British Army officer who served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the First Boer War, the Suakin Expedition, the Second Boer War and the First World War. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff during 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

Born the son of William Douglas and Caroline Douglas (née Hare) and educated privately,^[1] Douglas was commissioned as an ensign in the 92nd Highlanders on 16 December 1869.^[2] He was promoted to lieutenant on 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 the Second Anglo-Afghan War and, having been promoted to captain on 29 July 1880,^[5] participated in the 320 mile march from Kabul to Kandahar in Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the command of General Frederick Roberts, earning the Kabul to Kandahar Star.^[1] He also took part in the Battle of Kandahar on 1 October 1880 and was mentioned in despatches.^[6]

He also served in the First Boer War between 1880 and 1881 and was again mentioned in despatches.^[1] Promoted to brevet major on 1 March 1881,^[7] he became adjutant of his Regiment again on 25 February 1882.^[8]

He went on the Suakin Expedition to Sudan in 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 of 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Rifle Volunteers on 1 November 1886.^[10] Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 28 November 1890,^[11] he was appointed brigade major to the 1st Infantry Brigade in 1893.^[1]

Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 29 May 1895,^[12] he became Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot Command on 1 October 1895^[13] and Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot Command with the rank of brevet colonel on 28 March 1898.^[14] He was made Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 11 May 1898^[15] and given the substantive rank of colonel on 18 May 1898.^[16]

He served in the Second Boer War as Assistant Adjutant-General on the Headquarters staff in South Africa from 9 October 1899^[17] and then as Chief of Staff to Lord Methuen, the General Officer Commanding 1st Division.^[1] He was promoted to the local rank of major general and made Commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade on 10 February 1900,^[18][19] shortly before the Relief of Kimberley. Following the Siege of Mafeking, Douglas was appointed Commander of Mafeking and the adjacent district on 28 August 1900.^[20] 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).^[21]

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 of 1st Infantry Brigade at Aldershot Garrison on 31 October 1901^[22] and General Officer Commanding 2nd Division within First Army Corps on 1 April 1902.^[23][24] He became Adjutant-General to the Forces on 12 February 1904.^[25] At this time the Esher Committee chaired by Lord Esher was 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:^[26] Douglas strongly opposed this aspect of the proposals.^[1]

Having been promoted to lieutenant general on 3 April 1905,^[27] he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Southern Command on 1 June 1909.^[28]

He took part in the funeral procession following the death of King Edward VII in May 1910^[29] and, having been promoted to general on 31 October 1910,^[30] became Inspector-General of Home Forces on 5 March 1912.^[31] He was also Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders from 25 June 1912.^[32]

Douglas replaced Field Marshal Sir John French as Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 6 April 1914.^[33] Douglas served in that role during the First 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 Marshal Lord Kitchener as War Minister.^[1] He became Aide-de-Camp General to the King on 30 June 1914.^[34]

Douglas, who had not been in the best of health, died from strain and overwork at his home at Eaton Square in London on 25 October 1914 and was replaced by General Sir James Murray.^[1] He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery (Plot 188, Path Side, Grave 44434).^[35]

Family

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

References

External links

• The British Army in Great War

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces and Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army
Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces	Duke of Albemarle Duke of Monmouth Earl of Marlborough Duke of Leinster Duke of Marlborough Duke of Ormonde Earl of Stair George Wade Duke of Cumberland Viscount Ligionier Marquess of Granby Lord Amherst Henry Conway Lord Amherst Duke of York Sir David Dundas Duke of York Duke of Wellington Viscount Hill Duke of Wellington Viscount Hardinge Duke of Cambridge Viscount Wolseley Earl Roberts
Chief of the General Staff	Sir Neville Lyttelton
Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff	Sir William Nicholson Sir John French Sir Charles Douglas Sir James Murray Sir Archibald Murray Sir William Robertson Sir Henry Wilson The Earl of Cavan Sir George Milne Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd Sir Cyril Deverell The Viscount Gort Sir Edmund Ironside Sir John Dill Sir Alan Brooke The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein Sir William Slim Sir John Harding Sir Gerald Templer Sir Francis Festing Sir Richard Hull
Chiefs of the General Staff	Sir Richard Hull Sir James Cassels Sir Geoffrey Baker Sir Michael Carver Sir Peter Hunt Sir Roland Gibbs Sir Edwin Bramall Sir John Stanier Sir Nigel Bagnall Sir John Chapple Sir Peter Inge Sir Charles Guthrie Sir Roger Wheeler Sir Michael Walker Sir Mike Jackson Sir Richard Dannatt Sir David Richards Sir Peter Wall Sir Nick Carter