| Douglas McConnel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 June 1893 |
| Died | 7 February 1961 (aged 67) |
| Place of birth | Derbyshire, England |
| Buried at | Colmonell, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Years of service | 1912–1947 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Commands held |
British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan Lowland District |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
Major-General Douglas Fitzgerald McConnel CB CBE DSO (9 June 1893 – 7 February 1961) was a senior British Army officer who served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Troops in Palestine and Trans-Jordan.
Early life and military career[]
Born the son of William Holdsworth McConnel, a Royal Navy officer,[1] and Florence Emma (née Bannister). He was born with a twin brother, George Malcolm, who died in 1908. Douglas was educated at Winchester College and then entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He played in the Association Football XI in 1910-11 and the Lord's XI in 1911.[2]
McConnel, after entering Woolwich, was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Artillery in 1912.[3] He served in World War I, in France and Palestine, during which he was mentioned in dispatches three times, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1917, and ended the war in 1918 as a.[4]
After the war he became a staff captain at the School of Artillery in 1920.[3] After attending the Staff College, Camberley from 1925 to 1926, he went on to be Officer Commanding the Gentlemen Cadets at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, a General Staff Officer at the Royal Army Service Corps Training Centre in 1933 and a General Staff Officer at the Staff College in 1936.[3]
He served in World War II, initially as a GSO in Mandatory Palestine and Trans-Jordan and then from 1941, as General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Troops in Palestine and Trans-Jordan.[3] After the War he became General Officer Commanding Lowland District in Scotland before retiring in 1947.[3][4]
McConnel lived at Knockdolian near Gillemichael in Ayrshire.[5]
Family[]
He married Ruth Mary Garnett-Botfield, daughter of Major Walter Dutton Garnett-Botfield. They had one daughter, Diana, who became the Duchess of Wellington.[6]
References[]
- ↑ "McCONNEL, Major-Geneneral Douglas Fitzgerald". Who Was Who. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, online edition. April 2014. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U48266. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ↑ "Maj.-Gen. D. F. McConnel". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 10 February 1961. p. 17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "McConnel, Douglas Fitzgerald". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/MCCONNEL.shtml. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Smart, p. 199
- ↑ Cokayne, G.E. (2000). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Volume XII/2. Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 462.
- ↑ "The Duchess of Wellington". The Telegraph. 18 November 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/8144150/The-Duchess-of-Wellington.html. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
Bibliography[]
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
The original article can be found at Douglas McConnel and the edit history here.