Major-General Sir John Duncan (24 February 1872 – 17 September 1948) was a British Army officer who commanded the

Shanghai Defence Force The Shanghai Defence Force was a tri-service military formation established by the British Government to protect European nationals and their property in Shanghai from Chinese nationalist forces during a period of tension in 1927. History Following ...

Military career

Duncan was educated at the Royal Military College, and joined the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...

in 1891. He served on the North West Frontier of the British Raj, 1897-8 before taking part in the Second Boer War (1899–1901). On 31 January 1902 he was seconded for service on the Staff, and appointed brigade major of the infantry brigade at Malta. He served in World War I at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

before being appointed commander of 78th Infantry Brigade in 1916 and then general officer commanding 22nd Division in

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

in 1917. After the war he became major-general on the General Staff of the Army of the Black Sea from April to December 1919. He was appointed military attaché in Rome in 1920, general officer commanding

54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...

in 1923 and major-general commanding the Shanghai Military Force in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1927-8. The Shanghai Defence Force was established in January 1927 amidst concerns that British lives and properties were at risk during the unrest in

at the time. In practice he had to deal with a diplomatic incident when a British military plane made a forced landing on the International Race Course in Jiangwan. His last appointment was as general officer commanding 1st Division at Aldershot early in 1928 before retiring later that year and receiving a knighthood. Duncan was Chief Commissioner of the St John Ambulance Brigade from 1931 to 1943. He was appointed a Bailiff Grand Cross (the highest grade) of the Venerable Order of St John in 1946.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, John 1872 births 1948 deaths British Army major generals Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John British Army generals of World War I British military attachés British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst