Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Alexander Andrew Wilson KCB (29 October 1858 – 7 July 1937) was a senior British Army officer,

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and

Lieutenant Governor of Jersey The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, ...

between the years 1916 and 1920.

Military career

Educated at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

,A Register of St Nicholas College Lancing
/ref> Wilson was gazetted into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1879 and served with the regiment through the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...

of 1879 before being appointed Commandant of Colonial Forces, Western Australia in 1895. Wilson returned from Australia to fight with his regiment during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion after the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape C ...

in 1899. He served under Sir John Maxwell in the Sinai and Palestine campaign (

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

) as General Officer Commanding Indian Expeditionary Force E, Canal Defences and was mentioned in dispatches whilst commanding the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

defences against the Turkish attack through 1915–1916. He was also appointed KCB at around this time. In later life he became Colonel of the Regiment ( Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) and was made

. He married Jane Leith-Hay Graham, daughter of Robert Graham, 14th of Fintry. Their son Alexander Robert Graham Wilson was commander of the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Alexander 1858 births 1937 deaths Military personnel from Suffolk Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at Lancing College Governors of Jersey