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Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald

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Lieutenant General The Right Honourable
The Earl of Dundonald
KCB, KCVO
Lord Dundonald in 1904
Personal details
Born(1852-10-29)29 October 1852
Banff, Scotland
Died12 April 1935(1935-04-12) (aged 82)
Wimbledon, England
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1878; died 1924)​
RelationsThomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults (brother)
Children5, including Thomas
Parent(s)Thomas Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald
Louisa Harriet Mackinnon
EducationEton College
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
RankLieutenant General
CommandsGeneral Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
2nd Regiment of Life Guards
Battles/warsMahdist War
Second Boer War
First World War
AwardsMentioned in Despatches (7)

Lieutenant General Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald, KCB, KCVO (29 October 1852 – 12 April 1935), styled Lord Cochrane between 1860 and 1885, was a Scottish representative peer from 1886-1922[1][2] and a British Army general.

Early life

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Cochrane was the second but eldest surviving son of Thomas Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald, by Louisa Harriet Mackinnon, daughter of William Alexander Mackinnon. Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults, was his younger brother. He was educated at Eton College.[3]

Military career

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Lord Dundonald, Speaking at the annual gathering of the Scottish Clans Association in London, said that while commanding the forces in Canada he had succeeded in changing the uniforms of several regiments, and dressing them in the Highland garb. Lord Dundonald is Closely associated with the Clan Mackinnon, his mother being a native of that clan.

Inverness Courier - Friday 30 November 1906[4]

Cochrane was commissioned into the Life Guards in July 1870,[5] and was promoted to lieutenant the following year and captain in 1878.[6] In 1884, he went to the Soudan in command of a detachment of the Camel Corps in the expedition for the relief of Khartoum, for his distinguished services in this campaign, he was mentioned in dispatched and received the medal with two clasps and the Khedive's bronze star with the brevet of lieutenant-colonel.[7] He then served in the Nile Expedition,[5] the Desert March and the Relief of Khartoum in 1885. In 1889 he reached the rank of full colonel in the army. In 1895, he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 2nd Life Guards.[5]

He served in the Second Boer War and in November 1899 he volunteered to be the Commander of the Mounted Brigade, part of the South Natal Field Force, whilst there on the 22nd of the same month, Sir Redvers Buller gave him command over the mounted troops (which mainly consisted of colonial irregulars). For these services, he was mentioned six times in dispatches, received the medal with six clasps and was promoted to the rank of major-general for distinguished service to the field.[5] He took part in the Relief of Ladysmith in February 1900,[5] although his South African troops, unimpressed by his leadership, referred to him as "Dundoodle".[8]

In April 1902, it was announced that Lord Dundonald would be appointed General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada,[6] the senior military officer in Canada. He left Liverpool on 15 July,[9] and arrived in Quebec and Ottawa later the same month to take up his position.[10] He and his family stayed at Crichton Lodge in Rockcliffe, Ottawa, Ian McAllister of Morton College, Oxford was appointed as his private secretary whilst in charge.[11] During his time at Canada, he authored a scheme for the reorganisation of the Canadian militia on entirely new lines, which was adopted, he also wrote a drill & training book, directed towards Cavalry & infantry, additionally, he revamped the cadet corps structure and established several other associations aimed at enhancing the militia. He was also able to change the dress codes of many Scottish regiments to align more with their culture.[12] He served in Canada for two years until he was dismissed by the dominion cabinet due to his outburst at a dinner in Montreal, described as "utterances at a banquet" in newspaper articles and officially termed "Indiscretion and insubordination" by the cabinet.[13][14] In defence of his critics, Dundonald asserted that communication between him and the minister of the militia had been corrupted which left Canada defenceless.[15]

Lord Dundonald asserts that the militia has been grossly interfered with by party politicians, He alleges that important parts of his reports for 1902 and 1903 were wrongfully suppressed by the minister of militia, contrary to his wishes. Sir Frederick Borden is charged by Lord Dundonald with falsehood in the house of commons. He declares the militia has been greatly neglected and lacks all that is necessary to make it efficient. The Great northwest, the officer points out, is left defenceless, without even a gun. As regards preparation for war and readiness to resist aggression. The people of Canada, Lord Dundonald says, are living in a fool's paradise. Had he made only an official protest, he adds, it would have been pigeonholed, as many others had been.

The Boston Record - 20 June 1904[16]

In 1910, Douglas was appointed the first 'gold stick in waiting' for king George V, and on arrival of Theodore Roosevelt, he was the king's 'aide de camp'.[17][18]

He later served in the First World War as Chairman of the Admiralty Committee on Smoke Screens in 1915.[5]

A caricature of Douglas in Canada mocking his stature in a childlike manner (1904)

In 1921, he became a 'special ambassador' to the Peruvian Centenary.[19]

Inventions

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A list of his inventions that were patented;

- 'Pocket-stove', (Patented 25 August 1896)[20]

- 'Carriage and Traction Arrangement for a Machine or Quick Firing Gun', (Patented 18 August 1896)[21]

- 'An Improvement in Nosebags for Horses', (Patented 7 September 1896)[22]

- 'Improvements in Horse Traction Arrangements for Vehicles', (Patented 1 May 1897)[23]

- 'Improvements in Ambulances and other Vehicles, especially adapted for Camel Traction', (patented 3 September 1897)[24]

- 'Ammunition holder for machine guns', (Patented 19 July, I898)[25]

- 'Bicycle saddle'; A Yielding Seat applicable in lieu of Saddle, (Patented 6 September, I898)[26]

- 'Apparatus for Mechanical Patrontilførlsen by Guardian'; cartridge supply, (Patented 2 February 1899)[27]

- 'Improvements in the Coupling and Traction of Bicycles', (Patented 18 February 1899)[28]

- 'Tea or Coffee pot'; which was later manufactured as a teapot by the Wedgwood company, and marketed as the "SYP" (Simple Yet Perfect).[29] Later, in 1911 a licence to manufacture 'S.Y.P. teapots and coffee pots' was applied for with James Dixon & Sons.[30] (Patented 16 July 1901)[31][32]

Personal life

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When Lord Dundonald is not busy with war he is practising scientific stock raising and agriculture on his Welsh estate, Gwrych Castle.

Munsey's Magazine: Vol 32 Iss 1 - October 1904[33]

Lord Dundonald married Winifred Bamford-Hesketh, daughter of Robert Bamford-Hesketh, in 1878. For many years, the family lived at Gwrych Castle in North Wales, the seat of the Bamford-Hesketh family. The Countess of Dundonald did not accompany her husband to Canada. They had two sons and three daughters:[34]

Douglas owned several treasures from the Napoleonic wars, heirlooms from his grandfather, Thomas Cochrane, the 10th Earl, one of these items was a lock of Napoleon's hair.[35]

His wife died in January 1924. Lord Dundonald died at his home in Wimbledon in April 1935, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Thomas.

In 1926, he published an autobiographical book of his military career titled called 'My Army Life'.[36]

He is buried in Achnaba Churchyard, Ardchattan near Benderloch, Lorne, Argyll & Bute. As his eldest son died unmarried and without issue, he was succeeded by his nephew, Ian Douglas Leonard Cochrane as the 14th Earl of Dundonald.[34]

Honours and legacy

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Lord Dundonald was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in December 1901,[37] and in June 1907 knighted as a Knight Commander (KCVO) of the order.

Dundonald Park, in Centretown, Ottawa, is named after him.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Representative Peers – Scotland". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "(1701) - Towns > Glasgow > 1828-1912 - Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1909-1910 - Scottish Directories - National Library of Scotland".
  3. ^ Dundee Courier, 13 April 1935 [page 7]
  4. ^ "The Falkirk Herald And Midland Counties Journal". 31 January 1900 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "King's College London Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives entry". Retrieved 3 May 2006.
  6. ^ a b "The Command of the Canadian Militia". The Times. No. 36737. London. 9 April 1902. p. 6.
  7. ^ 'The Scots peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom' (1914) by Sir James Balfour Paul - https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun03pauluoft/scotspeeragefoun03pauluoft/page/366
  8. ^ Farrar-Hockley 1974, p43
  9. ^ "Lord Dundonald´s departure for Canada". The Times. No. 36821. London. 16 July 1902. p. 9.
  10. ^ "Latest Intelligence - Lord Dundonald at Ottawa". The Times. No. 36831. London. 28 July 1902. p. 5.
  11. ^ The Chilliwack Progress Wed, 16 Jul 1902 (Page 1) - https://www.newspapers.com/image/43170648
  12. ^ "PDF Flip" (PDF).
  13. ^ The Diamond Drill, June 18 1904 (page 2)
  14. ^ The Boston Transcript, June 14 1904 (Page 1)
  15. ^ The Boston Record - June 20 1904 (Page 3)
  16. ^ "The Boston Record". 20 June 1904 – via MyHeritage.
  17. ^ Oakland Tribune 14 May 1910 - https://www.newspapers.com/image/79931963
  18. ^ Bedfordshire Mercury, Friday 03 June 1910 - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001290/19100603/081/0006
  19. ^ The New York Times, Saturday, April 13, 1935 (Page 15) - https://archive.org/details/sim_new-york-times_1935-04-13_84_28203_0/page/14/mode/2up?q=dundonald
  20. ^ "Douglas mackinnon baillie hamilton cochrane".
  21. ^ "Carriage and Traction Arrangement for a Machine or Quick Firing Gun".
  22. ^ "An Improvement in Nosebags for Horses".
  23. ^ "Improvements in Horse Traction Arrangements for Vehicles".
  24. ^ "Improvements in Ambulances and other Vehicles, especially adapted for Camel Traction".
  25. ^ "Cochrane".
  26. ^ "Cochrane".
  27. ^ "Anordning ved Patrontilførlsen til Maskinskyts".
  28. ^ "Improvements in the Coupling and Traction of Bicycles".
  29. ^ "Teapot". V&A. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Collection Overview".
  31. ^ "Tea or coffee pot".
  32. ^ "Simple Yet Perfect teapot - 1906". wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk. The Wedgwood Museum. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Munsey's Magazine: Vol 32 Iss 1". Argosy Communications. October 1904 – via Archive.org.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g "Dundonald, Earl of (S, 1669)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  35. ^ Buffalo Courier Express, Sun 21 Nov 1915 (Page 36) - https://www.newspapers.com/image/352647041
  36. ^ https://abdn-psb.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma990011113990205941&context=L&vid=44ABE_INST:44ABE_VU1&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI
  37. ^ "No. 27390". The London Gazette. 24 December 1901. p. 9061.

Sources

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald.
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
1902–1904 		Succeeded by
Sir Percy Lake
(as Chief of the General Staff (Canada))
Preceded by Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards
1907–1919 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Dundonald
1885–1935 		Succeeded by
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