Colonel Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm (10 December 1860 – 11 December 1938) was a Scottish officer in the British Army during the Anglo-Egyptian War and World War I.

Military career

He joined the

42nd Regiment of Foot The 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment in the British Army also known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford's Highlanders or the Highland Regiment and numbered 43rd in the line, in 1748, on the disband ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 22 January 1879. The same regiment his grandfather, Lieutenant J. Malcolm, had served with during the Peninsular War and the Waterloo Campaign. In 1880 he became a lieutenant in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and served in the Anglo-Egyptian War, including at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir, where he was wounded twice and received the Khedive's Star. He then served on the

Nile Expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan af ...

, as a Staff Captain with the Whaleboats and was promoted to Captain in August 1885 and then to Major in April 1897.Malcolm, Henry Huntly Leith, CB, CMG, DSO
/ref> From 1900 he served in the Second Boer War in command of the 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, in operations against in the Boers in the Orange Free State and

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, taking part in the

Battle of Diamond Hill The Battle of Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek) () was an engagement of the Second Boer War that took place on 11 and 12 June 1900 in central Transvaal. Background The Boer forces retreated to the east by the time the capital of the South African ...

. During the war he was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, received the Queen's South Africa Medal with four clasps, the King's South Africa Medal with two clasps and was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 2 April 1902, and appointed in command of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment following his return to the United Kingdom in June 1902.

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to Colonel followed in 1905. From 1906 to 1911 he commanded the Seaforth and Cameron Brigade in Scottish Command, having been made a Colonel in 1910. In 1911 he was a Colonel on half pay when he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in the

1911 Coronation Honours The Coronation Honours 1911 for the British Empire were announced on 19 June 1911, to celebrate the coronation of George V which was held on 22 June 1911. The honours were covered in the press at the time, including in ''The Times'' on 20 June 19 ...

of George V. As a Temporary Brigadier General he was appointed to command the Orange River Colony District in South Africa from October 1911 to May 1913. Still a Temporary Brigadier General he left to take up command as the Officer Commanding the Troops in Ceylon. His actions in Ceylon during the 1915 riots were heavy criticised locally following the institution of martial law by Governor Sir

Robert Chalmers Robert Chalmers, 1st Baron Chalmers, (18 August 1858 – 17 November 1938) was a British civil servant, and a Pali and Buddhist scholar. In later life, he served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Background and education Chalmers was ...

. With martial law declared Brigadier General Malcolm ordered strict enforcement of curfews with orders to shoot any one who they deemed a rioter without a trial. It was reported that Brigadier Malcolm had ordered his troops to "not to waste ammunition, but to shoot through the heart any Sinhalese that may be found on the streets". He instituted field general courts-martials, that convicted many including Captain Henry Pedris and

Edmund Hewavitarne Edmund Hewavitarne (1873 – 19 November 1915) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) businessman and reservist. A member of Ceylon Defence Force, he was court-martialed for treason and died in prison, he was given posthumous pardon. He was the younger br ...

. The later he had executed while the former died in prison. Popular discontent towards the methods undertaken to suppress the riots marked the beginning of the independence movement in Ceylon.Memorandum upon recent disturbances in Ceylon
/ref> In September 1915, Colonel Malcolm was transferred to the

western front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

as a Brigade Commander in the British Expeditionary Force unit December 1915. He was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in the

1916 Birthday Honours The 1916 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

and in 1917 he returned to France as a brigade major. He retired from the British Army in December 1917, on the ground of ‘age' with the rank of Colonel.

Family

Born to William Malcolm, of Glenmorag,

Argyllshire Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

and Amelia Jane, daughter of Reverend H H Holdsworth, of Fishtoft, Lincolnshire. In 1908, Colonel Malcolm married Edith, only child of Ernest E Sabel, and they had one daughter, E Betty E A Malcolm, born 22 October 1913.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm, Henry Huntly Leith 1860 births 1938 deaths British Army colonels Black Watch officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Military personnel from Glasgow British Army personnel of the Mahdist War