Donald Kenneth McLeod

Lieutenant General Sir (Donald) Kenneth McLeod (19 June 1885 – 25 October 1958) was a British Indian Army officer.

Biography

Quoted from Nick Smart, Biographical Dictionary of British Generals during the Second World War, pps. 201-202

"The son of a general and educated at Wellington and RMC, Sandhurst, McLeod was gazetted into the Corps of Guides (Indian Army) in 1905. He served on the North-West Frontier and in the First War was wounded in Mesopotamia, mentioned three times in despatches in Palestine and admitted to the DSO in 1917.

A graduate of the Staff College, Camberley, in 1920, McLeod was a staff officer at the War Office 1921–1922 and, married in 1923, was an instructor at Camberley 1923–1926. He commanded the Guides Cavalry in India 1928–1932, and attended the Imperial Defence College and, returning to India commanded, in turn, the 4th and 1st Cavalry Brigades 1933–1936. A major general in 1936, he was Deputy Adjutant and QMG Northern Command, India, in 1937, and from 1938 to 1941 was GOC Burma.

Adjudged deficient in 'push and go' by Pownall, and 'a nice old gentleman' by Wavell, McLeod was dismissed from his command at the same time as he was promoted lieutenant general and retired from the army in 1942. Knighted, he was Honorary Sheriff Substitute for Inverness-shire from 1942 and DL for the county from 1955."

Summation of military career

• 1908 North West Frontier, India
• 1914–1918 World War I
  • 1914–1915 Aide-de-camp to Bde Commander, France
  • 1915 Staff Capt, France 1915
  • 1915–1916 General Staff Officer Grade 3, France 1915–1916
  • 1916 Bde Maj, France
  • 1916–1917 General Staff Officer Grade 2, France
  • 1917–1918 General Staff Officer Grade 2, India
• 1919 Kurdistan, Iraq
• 1920 Staff College, Camberley
• 1921–1922 General Staff Officer Grade 3, British War Office
• 1923–1925 General Staff Officer Grade 2, Staff College, Camberley
• 1928–1932 Commander, Guides Cavalry
• 1932 Imperial Defence College
• 1933–1934 Commander, 4th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade, India
• 1934–1936 Commander, 1st (Risalpur) Cavalry Brigade
• 1937–1938 Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General, Northern Command, India
• 1939–1942 World War II
  • 1939–1941 General Officer Commanding, Army in Burma, Burma Command
  • 1942 retired
  • 1944–1945 Head of British Red Cross in Southern Europe

Bibliography

• Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496. 

External links

• Generals.dk, McLeod, Sir Donald Kenneth, Lieutenant-General