General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Charles Whittingham Horsley Douglas, (17 July 1850 – 25 October 1914) was a

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 who served in the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

, the Suakin Expedition, the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

and the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial G ...

during the first three months of the First World War but died from strain and overwork without having any meaningful influence on the outcome of the war.

Military career

Douglas was born the son of William Douglas and Caroline Douglas (née Hare), at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. He was educated privately, and commissioned 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 the 92nd Highlanders on 16 December 1869. He was promoted to

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 ...

on 28 October 1871 and became adjutant of the 92nd Highlanders on 31 December 1876. Kandahar 92nd Highlanders

Douglas served in the

and, having been promoted to captain on 29 July 1880, participated in the 320 mile march from

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

in Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the command of General Frederick Roberts, earning the

Kabul to Kandahar Star The Kabul to Kandahar Star, also known as the Roberts Star or Kandahar Bronze Star was awarded to those British and Indian troops who participated in the 320 mile march from Kabul to Kandahar in Afghanistan between 9–31 August 1880, under the co ...

. He also took part in the

Battle of Kandahar Battle of Kandahar may refer to: * Battle of Kandahar (1880), the last major conflict of the Second Anglo-Afghan War * Battle of Kandahar (2001), the fall of the city in 2001, signaling the end of organized Taliban control of Afghanistan * Battl ...

on 1 September 1880 and was mentioned in despatches. He also served in the

between 1880 and 1881 and was again mentioned in despatches. Promoted to brevet major on 1 March 1881, he became adjutant of his Regiment again on 25 February 1882. He went on the Suakin Expedition to Sudan in 1884 and became Deputy Assistant-Adjutant and Quartermaster-General on the Staff in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

on 6 March 1885. He then returned to England to become adjutant of 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Rifle Volunteers on 1 November 1886. Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 28 November 1890, he was appointed brigade major to the 1st Infantry Brigade in 1893. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 29 May 1895, he became Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot Command on 1 October 1895 and Assistant Adjutant-General at Aldershot Command with the rank of brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on 28 March 1898. He was made Aide-de-Camp to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

on 11 May 1898 and given the substantive rank of colonel on 18 May 1898. Douglas served in the

from 1899 until early 1901. He was initially Assistant Adjutant-General on the Headquarters staff in South Africa from 9 October 1899, then served as ADC and Chief of Staff to Lord Methuen, the General Officer Commanding 1st Division. It was in this role he took part in the Battle of Modder River (November 1899) and the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape Co ...

(10-11 December 1899), in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British forces amongst heavy casualties for the latter. Douglas was mentioned in the despatch from Lord Methuen describing the battle. He was promoted to the local rank of

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 ...

and made Commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade on 10 February 1900, shortly before the

Relief of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to tr ...

. Following the

Siege of Mafeking The siege of Mafeking was a 217-day siege battle for the town of Mafeking (now called Mafikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War from October 1899 to May 1900. The siege received considerable attention as Lord Edward Cecil, the son of ...

, Douglas was appointed Commander of Mafeking and the adjacent district on 28 August 1900. The rank of major-general was confirmed for "distinguished service in the field" in early 1901 (but dated to the initial appointment on 10 February 1900). Mafikeng Second Boer War

After returning to England, he became Commander of 1st Infantry Brigade at Aldershot Garrison on 31 October 1901 and General Officer Commanding 2nd Division within First Army Corps on 1 April 1902. He became

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

on 12 February 1904. At this time the Esher Committee chaired by

Lord Esher Viscount Esher, of Esher in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 November 1897 for the prominent lawyer and judge William Brett, 1st Baron Esher, upon his retirement as Master of the Rolls ...

was proposing far reaching changes to the structure of the British Army including the creation of a "blue ribbon" elite drawn strictly from the General Staff to the exclusion of Administrative Staff: Douglas strongly opposed this aspect of the proposals. Having been promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 3 April 1905, he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Southern Command on 1 June 1909. He took part in the funeral procession following the death of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

in May 1910 and, having been promoted to

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 31 October 1910, became Inspector-General of Home Forces on 5 March 1912. He was also Colonel of the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

from 25 June 1912. Douglas replaced Field Marshal

Sir John French Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer. Born in Kent t ...

on 6 April 1914. Douglas served in that role during the

, which started in August 1914, but did not have any major impact on its conduct during the first three months, leaving strategic control to Field Marshal Lord Kitchener as War Minister. He became

Aide-de-Camp General Aide-de-camp general is a senior honorary appointment for generals in the British Army. The recipient is appointed as an aide-de-camp general to the head of state, currently King Charles III. They are entitled to the post-nominals "ADC (Gen.)". T ...

to the King on 30 June 1914. Douglas, who had not been in the best of health, died from strain and overwork at his home at Eaton Square in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 25 October 1914 and was replaced by General Sir James Murray. He was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

(Plot 188, Path Side, Grave 44434).

Family

In 1887 he married Ida de Courcy (née Gordon); they had no children.

References

External links

The British Army in Great War
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Sir Charles British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army generals of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 1850 births 1914 deaths South African military personnel Gordon Highlanders officers Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff British military personnel killed in World War I