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 ...

Welbore Ellis Doyle (1758–1797) was the third

Military Governor of British Ceylon The governor of Ceylon was the representative in Ceylon of the British Crown from 1795 to 1948. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Ceylon. The governor was the ...

. He was appointed on 1 January 1797 and was Governor until 2 July 1797. He was succeeded by Peter Bonnevaux.

Military service

Doyle was born in 1758 in Dublin, the fifth son of Charles and Elizabeth Doyle of Bramblestown, County Kilkenny, and a younger brother of John Doyle. He joined the army in 1770 as an Ensign in the 55th Foot, and was promoted

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in September 1773. He served in North America with his brother from 1775, seeing action in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and was elevated to Captain of the 55th Foot in November 1777. Under Rawdon he served at the

Battle of Camden The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...

, 25 April 1781, after leading a small force to raid Snow Island in March. He sailed back to Great Britain with his brother and Rawdon later that year, but was captured en route by the French fleet, to be later exchanged. He was appointed

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 colonel. ...

of the 105th Foot (former "Volunteers of Ireland") in March 1782, but placed on half-pay after the peace. He was Military Envoy to Poland and Warsaw during the 1780s. Doyle was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the

14th Foot The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was, on ...

in March 1789, and commanded the regiment in the

Flanders Campaign The Flanders Campaign (or Campaign in the Low Countries) was conducted from 20 April 1792 to 7 June 1795 during the first years of the War of the First Coalition. A coalition of states representing the Ancien Régime in Western Europe – Aus ...

under the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

in 1793. He distinguished himself at the

Battle of Famars The Battle of Famars was fought on 23 May 1793 during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. An Allied Austrian, Hanoverian, and British army under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld defeated the French Army of the North le ...

22 May by leading an attack on an entrenched camp. After an initial rebuff from a French force that could be heard playing the patriotic march "

Ça Ira "" (; French: "it'll be fine") is an emblematic song of the French Revolution, first heard in May 1790. It underwent several changes in wording, all of which used the title words as part of the refrain. Original version The author of the orig ...

" to urge on its men, Doyle ordered his own men to strike up the same tune, saying "We'll beat them to their own damned tune". The position was taken and the 14th Foot were ordered by York to henceforth use "Ça Ira" as their marching tune in honour of the occasion. Doyle was appointed

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in November 1794, and promoted

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 ...

in February 1795. After the evacuation from Holland he joined the Royalist survivors of

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...

at the

Île d'Yeu Île d'Yeu () or L'Île-d'Yeu, is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France. The island's two harbors, Port-Joinville in the north and Port de la Meule to the south, in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famo ...

with 4 British foot regiments and 3 Royalist cavalry units from September, commanding the total 5,000 men. He commanded the attack on Hedic and

Houat Houat ( br, Enez Houad; french: Île d'Houat, ) is a French island off the south coast of Brittany in the department of Morbihan. It is located, along with two other major islands, in the entrance to the Baie de Quiberon. Its "twin sister" islan ...

in August. Eventually this force was obliged to withdraw due to serious supply problems after the failure of the Vendeans to raise support. Doyle was Colonel of the

53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot The 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. History E ...

from November 1796 – January 1798. He was then dispatched to India, spending some time at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

in 1796. Appointed Military Commander in Chief at Ceylon after his arrival on 1 January 1797, he died there suddenly on 30 June, aged 39.Dictionary of National Biography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Welbore Ellis 1758 births 1797 deaths Military personnel from Dublin (city) 18th-century Anglo-Irish people Governors of British Ceylon British expatriates in Sri Lanka 19th-century British military personnel British Army major generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars General Officers Commanding, Ceylon British people in colonial India

Military service

Further reading

References