Major-General Sir William Douglas, (13 August 1858 – 1920) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer.

Military career

Douglas was commissioned into the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

on 30 January 1878. He saw action in the

Bechuanaland Expedition The Bechuanaland Expedition or Warren Expedition, of late 1884/1885, was a British military expedition to the Tswana country, to assert British sovereignty in the face of encroachments from Germany and the Transvaal, and to suppress the Boer stat ...

in 1884, and after attending the Staff College at Camberley in 1896, saw action again in the

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

for which he was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO). He became a staff officer with

Irish Command Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

in March 1906 and was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in June 1908. After having served as a GSO1 of the 6th Division, he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and became commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade in November 1909, taking over from Major General

Alexander Thorneycroft Major General Alexander Whitelaw Thorneycroft, (19 January 1859 – 4 November 1931) was a senior British Army officer during the Second Boer War. Personal life Thorneycroft was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Thorneycroft, a former High ...

. Promoted to major general in August 1912, he was made

general officer commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

(GOC) East Lancashire Division in May 1913. He deployed with his division to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in September 1914, in the opening weeks of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and commanded it during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and for which he was later appointed a

Knight Commander 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

. He went on to command the division, numbered the 42nd in 1915, in the Middle Eastern theatre before returning to England in March 1917. He then commanded the Western Reserve Centre before retiring from the army in 1918.

Family

Douglas married, in December 1885, Ellen Lytcott (a Lady of Grace of St John of Jerusalem), daughter of Samuel Taylor, Crown Solicitor, Barbados.

Military career

Family

References

Further reading