Charles Douglas (general)

Sir Charles Douglas
1850–25 October 1914
General Sir Charles Douglas
Place of birth	Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
Place of death	London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General (1910)
Awards	GCB

General Sir Charles (Whittingham Horsley) Douglas, GCB, ADC (1850 – 25 October 1914), was a British officer serving as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) during the first months of World War I.

[edit] Army career

Educated privately Charles Douglas was commissioned into the 92nd Highlanders in 1869.^[1]

Douglas served in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880, went on the Suakin expedition to Sudan in 1884 and served in South Africa from 1899 to 1902. He was Adjutant-General between 1904 and 1909 and then Inspector-General of Home Forces from 1912 to April 1914.^[1]

On 6 April 1914, Douglas replaced Field-Marshal Sir John French as Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) and was thus in service at the outbreak of World War I. He did not have any major impact on the conduct of war during the first two and a half months, leaving strategic control to Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener as War Minister.^[1]

Douglas, who had not been in the best of health, died on 25 October 1914 due to strain and overwork. His place was taken by General Sir James Murray on 30 October 1914.^[1]

Military offices
Preceded by Sir John French	Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1914–1914	Succeeded by Sir James Murray

v • d • e Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army

Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff	Sir William Nicholson • Sir John French • Sir Charles Douglas • Sir James Murray • Sir Archibald Murray • Sir William Robertson • Sir Henry Wilson • Lord Cavan • Sir George Milne • Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd • Sir Cyril Deverell • Viscount Gort • Sir Edmund Ironside • Sir John Dill • Sir Alan Brooke • Viscount Montgomery • Sir William Slim • Sir John Harding • Sir Gerald Templer • Sir Francis Festing • Sir Richard Hull

Chiefs of the General Staff	Sir Richard Hull • Sir James Cassels • Sir Geoffrey Baker • Sir Michael Carver • Sir Peter Hunt • Sir Roland Gibbs • Sir Edwin Bramall • Sir John Stanier • Sir Nigel Bagnall • Sir John Chapple • Sir Peter Inge • Sir Charles Guthrie • Sir Roger Wheeler • Sir Michael Walker • Sir Mike Jackson • Sir Richard Dannatt