Hugh Debbieg

General Hugh Debbieg (1731/2 – 1810) was an English army officer, military engineer and surveyor.

Biography

War of the Austrian Succession Hugh Debbieg was born in 1731. He entered the Royal Artillery as matross on 1 April 1742, obtained a cadetship in May 1744, and in April 1745 became cadet-gunner. On 7 May 1746 he was attached as an engineer to the expedition under Lieutenant-General James St Clair against L'Orient. He took part in the siege of that place in September, and in the subsequent descent on Quiberon. He then resumed his studies at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. On 30 January 1747 he was appointed engineer extraordinary in Flanders. Debbieg attracted the attention of the Duke of Cumberland and Marshal Bathiani by his boldness and intelligence, and was made an extra aide-de-camp to the duke. He was present at the Battle of Val on 2 July, when he displayed conspicuous valour, winning the praise of the commander-in-chief. He served at Bergen op Zoom during the siege by the French from 14 July to 17 September, when it was taken by assault. thumb Plan of Fortifications at Chatham (1755)On the suspension of hostilities Debbieg was one of the engineers selected to make a survey of the seat of war in Brabant, and was placed on the establishment as practitioner engineer on 2 April 1748. After the conclusion of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, on 7 October 1748, he returned home and was employed on survey operations in Scotland and the north of England, assisting Colonel Dugald Campbell in the construction of the military road from Newcastle-on-Tyne to Carlisle, which, with its fourteen bridges, was completed in 1752, and was commended as one of the straightest and best laid-out roads in the kingdom.

Seven Years' War Debbieg was promoted to captain-lieutenant on 4 January 1758, and shortly after proceeded on active service to North America. He arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 9 May, and joined the expedition under Major-General Jeffery Amherst (afterwards Lord Amherst) against Louisbourg. He took part in the action on landing at Cape Breton on 8 June, and was assistant quartermaster-general under James Wolfe at the Siege of Louisbourg from 11 June until its capitulation on 26 July. The siege was a difficult one, and Debbieg, who was a man after Wolfe's own heart, resolute and daring, giving little heed to rule or system where they interfered with his views of the best mode of attack, had many opportunities of displaying his valuable qualities. He was promoted to be captain on 17 March 1759.

Debbieg proposed to raise a corps of military artificers at home on the model of the companies at Gibraltar, and developed the project in a letter to Lord Amherst dated 30 July 1779, but the proposal was not favourably received at the time, although eight years later it was adopted.

When Lord George Gordon decided, at the meeting of 29 May 1780, to march on 2 June with a "no popery" mob to the House of Commons, Lord Amherst committed to Debbieg the task of placing the public buildings in London in a state of defence. Little time was available; but when, five days later, the riots commenced he had been able to take effectual measures for the protection of the Bank of England, the British Museum, and other public buildings and offices, as well as the New River Head. On the 3rd, and again on 7 June, he assisted Colonel Twistleton in defending the Bank of England against the mob, who, finding the principal public buildings prepared for defence, wreaked their vengeance on Roman Catholic chapels and the houses of public men who had supported the relief of Roman Catholics. The riots ceased on 7 June as soon as the king ordered active military measures, but Debbieg continued to exercise his metropolitan responsibility until early in July, when trade and tranquillity were completely re-established. In the meantime he furnished the Bank of England with plans and estimates for making the buildings permanently, secure. They had three sons: Hugh, Henry and Clement. Debbieg died at his residence in Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, London, on 27 May 1810, leaving two sons in the army: Clement (died 18 April 1819), in the 57th foot, and Henry, in the 44th foot, who became a lieutenant colonel and fort major of Dartmouth Castle. His wife died in March 1801.