Colin Mackenzie (British Army officer) facts for kids

Major-General Sir Colin John Mackenzie KCB (born November 26, 1861 – died July 7, 1956) was a British soldier. He was the Chief of the General Staff for the Canadian Militia (which later became the Canadian Army). He held this important role from 1910 to 1913.

Early Life and Family

Colin Mackenzie was the oldest son of Major-General Colin Mackenzie. His father served in the Madras Staff Corps. His mother was Victoria Henrietta Mackinnon. Colin's grandfather, John Mackenzie, was a banker from Inverness. His family had roots with the Clan Mackenzie.

Becoming a Soldier

Colin Mackenzie studied at Edinburgh Academy and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In January 1881, he joined the British Army. He first served in the Bedfordshire Regiment. Soon after, he moved to the Seaforth Highlanders.

He took part in several military actions:

• The Nile expedition in 1882.
• The Burma expedition in 1886.
• The Hazara expedition in 1888.

He became a captain in 1889. In 1892, he was promoted to major. He then worked in India for four years. He also joined the Waziristan expedition in 1894 and another Nile expedition in 1898. After this, he attended the Staff College, Camberley.

Fighting in the Boer War

In 1899, Mackenzie went to South Africa when the Second Boer War began. From 1900, he was the Director of Intelligence. This meant he gathered important information for the army's leader, Lord Roberts. Lord Roberts praised Mackenzie for his "accurate and valuable reports."

Mackenzie was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1900. Later in the war, he became the Military Governor of Johannesburg. When the war ended in 1902, he returned to the United Kingdom. For his service, he received the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) award. King Edward VII gave him this award in person.

Leading Brigades and Divisions

In 1902, Mackenzie became a full lieutenant-colonel. He worked with the 5th Division in Dover. From 1905, he worked at Army Headquarters. In 1907, he became the Commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade at Aldershot Command.

From 1910 to 1913, he held a very important job: Chief of the General Staff in Canada. He had a big disagreement with Sam Hughes, Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence. They argued about the Ross rifle. Mackenzie believed the rifle was not good enough for fighting. Later, when the rifle proved unsuitable in World War I, Mackenzie felt his concerns were proven right.

World War I Service

When the First World War started, Mackenzie led several divisions on the Western Front in 1914:

• Highland Division
• 9th (Scottish) Division
• 15th (Scottish) Division
• 3rd Division

He took command of the 3rd Division after its previous leader died. However, he only led this division for two weeks. He was removed from command after the Battle of La Bassée in October 1914, which did not have a clear winner.

In 1915, he worked at the War Office. From February 1916, he commanded the 61st Division. His division was involved in the Battle of Fromelles on July 19, 1916. This battle was a terrible failure and led to many deaths for Australian and British soldiers. The 5th Australian Division had 5,513 casualties, and the 61st British Division had 1,547 casualties.

Mackenzie himself was wounded by an enemy sniper on April 27, 1918. He was shot in the cheek while visiting the front lines. The wound was serious, and he had to return to England for treatment in May 1918.

Later Career and Retirement

After recovering, Mackenzie became the Inspector of Infantry in 1918. From 1919, he was the Commander of the Dover Area. He retired from the army on April 1, 1920. Between 1924 and 1931, he was the Colonel of the Seaforth Highlanders.

Family Life

Colin Mackenzie married Ethel Ross. They had one son, Colin Hercules Mackenzie.