Colin John Mackenzie

Major-General Sir Colin John Mackenzie (26 November 1861 – 7 July 1956) was a British soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Militia (later the Canadian Army), from 1910 until 1913.

Background Mackenzie was the eldest son of Major-General Colin Mackenzie, of the Madras Staff Corps, by Victoria Henrietta Mackinnon (the eldest daughter of Charles Mackinnon of Corriechatachan). His paternal grandfather, John Mackenzie of Inverness, a banker, was descended from the Mackenzies of Portmore.

Early military career Educated at Edinburgh Academy and at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, Mackenzie was commissioned as a subaltern, with the rank of second lieutenant, into the 16th (Bedfordshire) Regiment of Foot on 22 January 1881, but soon transferred into the 78th Regiment of Foot (Highlanders) (The Ross-Shire Buffs) on 18 May; just prior to its amalgamation with the 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, to form the 2nd Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders.

Mackenzie took part in the Nile expedition of 1882, the Burma expedition of 1886 and the Hazara expedition in 1888, and was promoted to captain on 25 October 1889. Following promotion to major on 27 April 1892, he served as deputy assistant adjutant general for the Quetta District of India from 1892 to 1896. he took part in the Nile expedition of 1898. In a despatch dated 31 March 1900, Lord Roberts described how Mackenzie "afforded … material assistance by the accurate and valuable reports he submitted". He received the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel on 29 November 1900. In the later stages of the war, he became Military Governor of Johannesburg. For his service in the war, Mackenzie was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the April 1901 South Africa Honours list (the award was dated to 29 November 1900 ), and he received the actual decoration after his return home, from King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1902.

Between the wars In September 1902 he received the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed Assistant Quartermaster General for the 5th Division, within the 2nd Army Corps, based in Dover as part of the staff of the South-Eastern military district. He was Assistant Adjutant General at Army Headquarters from June 1905 and, after being promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general in March 1907, became commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade at Aldershot Command, taking over from Major General Herbert Belfield. From 1910 to 1913, he was Chief of the General Staff, Canada.

On 3 March 1914, he became GOC Highland Division of the Territorial Force (TF), taking over from Lieutenant General Charles Woollcombe.

First World War Towards the end of August, shortly after the British entry into World War I, he became GOC of the 9th (Scottish) Division, a newly created Kitchener's Army formation.

This only lasted until October when he was selected to succeed Major General Hubert Hamilton, GOC of the 3rd Division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, who had recently been killed in action. However, he only lasted for a mere two weeks in this post before he was relieved of his command following the inconclusive result at the Battle of La Bassée later in October. The division departed for service on the Western Front in May and was engaged in the disastrous diversionary battle for the Somme offensive at Fromelles on 19 July. This controversial operation, half British and half Australian, led to the loss of many Australian and British soldiers and achieved very little. Casualties were: the 5th Australian Division had 5,513 casualties while Mackenzie's 61st Division had 1,547 casualties.

Mackenzie himself continued to serve as the 61st's GOC throughout 1917 and into 1918 until he was wounded by an enemy sniper on 27 April 1918 while he was visiting the line of the 183rd Infantry Brigade south of St. Floris, being shot through the cheek and parotid gland. The wound did not respond to treatment and he was evacuated sick to England on 31 May, which marked the end of his active service overseas. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 31 May.

Postwar and final years Thereafter, Mackenzie was inspector of infantry in 1918 and commander of the Dover Area 1919 until his retirement from the army on 1 April 1920. He ceased to belong to the reserve of officers on 26 November 1928 Between July 1924 and 1931, he was colonel of the Seaforth Highlanders.

He died in London on 7 July 1956, at the age of 94, outliving many of his contemporaries and living through the Second World War.

Family Mackenzie married Ethel Ross, the daughter of Hercules Grey Ross I.C.S. and Mary Henderson. They had one son, Colin Hercules Mackenzie.