William Douglas (British Army officer, died 1920)

British Army general

Sir William Douglas

Born| 13 August 1858
Died| 1920 (aged 61-62)
Allegiance| United Kingdom
Service/branch| British Army
Rank| Major-General
Unit| Royal Scots
Commands held| 14th Infantry Brigade
East Lancashire Division
Battles/wars| Bechuanaland Expedition
Second Boer War
First World War
Awards| Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Order

Major-General Sir William Douglas KCMG, CB, DSO (13 August 1858 – 1920) was a British Army officer.

## Military career[edit]

Douglas was commissioned into the Royal Scots on 30 January 1878.[1] He saw action in the Bechuanaland Expedition in 1884, and after attending Staff College in 1896,[2] saw action again in the Second Boer War for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order.[3] He became a staff officer with Irish Command in March 1906.[1]

He became commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade in November 1909 and General Officer Commanding East Lancashire Division in May 1913.[4] He deployed with his division to Egypt in September 1914 and commanded it during the Gallipoli campaign for which he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.[5] He went on to command the division in the Middle Eastern theatre before returning to England in March 1917.[1] He then commanded the Western Reserve Centre before retiring in 1918.[1]

## Family[edit]

Douglas married, in December 1885, Ellen Lytcott (a Lady of Grace of St John of Jerusalem), daughter of Samuel Taylor, Crown Solicitor, Barbados.[6]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Major-General Sir William Douglas". Douglas Archives. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
2. ^ Gregory, Fontenot. "The Modern Major-General: Patterns in the Careers of British Army major-generals on active duty at the time of the Sarajevo Assassinations" (PDF). University of North Carolina. p. 84\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
3. ^ "No. 11296". The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 April 1901. p. 466.
4. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 28 May 2020.
5. ^ "No. 12871". The Edinburgh Gazette. 12 November 1915. p. 1710.
6. ^ Walford, Edward (1860). The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. p. 394. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

Military offices

Preceded by

Cecil Park

|  GOC East Lancashire Division
1913–1917  | Succeeded by

Bertram Mitford