Lieutenant-General Sir John Chetham McLeod (23 January 1831 – 10 January 1914) was a Scottish

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and colonial administrator. McLeod was born in Ceylon, and educated at

Perth Academy Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the P ...

and the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. He was commissioned into 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 disban ...

as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1846 and served in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. He was with his regiment in India during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1871 Birthday Honours. McLeod took command of the 42nd in March 1868 and fought in the third of the

Anglo-Ashanti wars The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victorio ...

, for which he was knighted. He relinquished command in September 1877 and was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General in Scotland. McLeod subsequently served in Belfast before assuming the position of General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He acted as Governor of Ceylon during the temporary absence of Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon from June to November 1885. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1891 Birthday Honours and placed on retired pay 1 April 1892. He was appointed Colonel of the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

on 26 February 1907. He died in London in 1914.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, John Chetham 1831 births 1914 deaths 42nd Regiment of Foot officers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Black Watch officers British Army generals British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War Ceylonese military personnel General Officers Commanding, Ceylon Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath