James Douglas McLachlan (1869–1937) was the first British wartime

Military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

to Washington, D.C.

Military career

James Douglas McLachlan was born in

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

, Java, 14 February 1869 and commissioned into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in 1891. He participated in 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 ...

in 1898 and, subsequently, at the famous

Siege of Khartoum The Siege of Khartoum (also known as the Battle of Khartoum or Fall of Khartoum) occurred from 13 March 1884 to 26 January 1885. Sudanese Mahdist forces captured the city of Khartoum from its Egyptian garrison, thereby gaining control over the ...

. He married Gwendolen Mab White, of Havilah, New South Wales in 1903 at St Margaret Church in London. As lieutenant colonel, McLachlan commanded the 1st Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders in March 1913 and led it to France in the early stages of the World War I until September 1914, when he was wounded. He then commanded 8th Infantry Brigade from October 1915 to March 1916. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (June 1916) and mentioned in dispatches twice (January 1916 and June 1916). He served on the staff as a Brigadier General before being appointed as the first wartime military attaché to the United States; he arrived in the United States with his wife and two school girl daughters on 11 September 1917. In-post, he was promoted to Major General. He was raised to a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 3 June 1918 and 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 June 1919. Upon relinquishing his post as military attaché, he reverted to his substantive rank of Colonel. He was awarded the United States Distinguished Service Medal in July 1919. He died on 7 November 1937.Peter Hodgkinson
Cameroons
2016. Accessed 20 September 2017. Nick Metcalfe.
Mclachlan
2015. Accessed 20 September 2017. David R. Woodward, ''Trial by Friendship.'' University of Kentucky, 2015, p. 234.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLachlan, James Douglas British military attachés Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George 1869 births 1937 deaths Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders officers British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army generals of World War I Military personnel of British India Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) British expatriates in the United States British expatriates in the Dutch East Indies