Donald Walter Cameron of Lochiel

Colonel
Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel
KT CMG JP DL
Lochiel, c. 1899
Lord Lieutenant of Inverness
In office
1939–1951
Preceded byAlfred Mackintosh
Succeeded byThe Lord Macdonald
Personal details
Born(1876-11-04)4 November 1876
Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian, Scotland
Died11 October 1951(1951-10-11) (aged 74)
Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland
Spouse
Lady Hermione Graham
​
​
(m. 1906)​
Children5, including Donald Hamish Cameron of Lochiel
Parents
Military service
RankColonel
Unit
Battles/wars

Colonel Sir Donald Walter Cameron of Lochiel, KT, CMG, JP, DL (4 November 1876 – 11 October 1951) was a British Army officer of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and the 25th Chief of Clan Cameron.

Early life

Lochiel was born at Dalkeith Palace on 4 November 1876, the eldest son of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, 24th Chief, and his wife, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch.[1] He had three brothers: Ewen, Allan and Archibald; two of whom would be killed during the First World War.[1]

He was educated at Harrow and attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[2] Following his father's death in 1905, he succeeded as the 25th Chief ("Lochiel") of Clan Cameron and laird of Achnacarry Castle; which came with some 100,000 acres that included Ben Nevis.[3]

Career

Cameron Highlander officers at an anniversary gathering in Hertford (Lochiel sits on left)

Cameron was commissioned as an officer in the Grenadier Guards on 5 September 1896, and promoted to lieutenant on 8 September 1898. He served in South Africa 1899-1900 during the Second Boer War, where he was part of the Kimberley relief force, and was wounded at the Battle of Belmont (November 1899).[4] He was in South Africa for the end of the war, and was invalided home in July 1902, when he left Cape Town on the SS Canada, returning to Southampton.[5] Lochiel was back with his regiment the same month and promoted to Captain.[6]

In 1914, Lochiel (who was then commanding officer of the 3rd Reserve Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) was asked by Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener to raise several battalions of infantry; Lochiel agreed, on the condition that he would be Colonel; one of these became the 5th Service Battalion of the regiment, which saw distinguished service on the western front as part of the 9th (Scottish) Division. His brothers, Allan and Archibald Cameron, also served in the Cameron Highlanders but were both killed in 1914 and 1917.[7][8] Their deaths and those of the many others serving under his command deeply affected him.[1] He was invalided home, but resumed command of the 3rd Battalion in January 1918, when it was in Ireland.[9]

From 1920 to 1936, he was aide-de-camp (ADC) to King George V.[10] He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Thistle (KT) in 1934, being the first non-peer, or baronet, to receive that honour.[11] He held the office of Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire from 1939 until his death in 1951.[12] On 1 February 1941, Lochiel was appointed Commander, Inverness Group of the Home Guard.[13]

Lochiel travelled to North America several times: firstly with his wife in 1913, and again in 1923, returning in 1924. He was also a passionate advocate of the Scottish Gaelic revival and served as Chief, Gaelic society of Inverness (although he could not speak the language himself).[14] He was also the first Cameron Chief to organise Clan Cameron gatherings, which took place for the first time in 1938.[14]

During the Second World War, he vacated his residence of Achnacarry to the military for 25,000 soldiers to undergo elite commando training between 1942 and 1945. Achnacarry, transformed into the Commando Basic Training Centre, was known to the soldiers as "Castle Commando".[15]

Family

In 1906, Lochiel married Lady Hermione Emily Graham (1882–1978), second daughter of Douglas Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose, and his wife, Violet Graham, Duchess of Montrose, daughter of Sir Frederick Graham, 3rd Baronet.[16] They had the following issue:

Coat of arms

Lochiel was recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and matriculated his arms at the Court of the Lord Lyon in 1934.[18] As a Knight of the Thistle his arms are encircled by that insignia:

Arms of Sir Donald Walter Cameron of Lochiel, KT

References

  1. ^ a b c Stewart of Ardvorlich, John (1974). The Camerons: A History Of Clan Cameron. The Clan Cameron Charitable Trust. p. 164.
  2. ^ "Colonel Donald Walter Cameron of Lochiel (1876-1951), 25th Chief of Clan Cameron". Ambaile. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. ^ Black, Robert W. (2009). The Ranger Force: Darby's Rangers in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-4383-9.
  4. ^ Hart´s Army list, 1903
  5. ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36821. London. 16 July 1902. p. 11.
  6. ^ "No. 27505". The London Gazette. 19 December 1902. p. 8758.
  7. ^ "Life story: Allan George Cameron | Lives of the First World War". livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^ CWGC. "Captain Archibald Cameron | War Casualty Details 743484". CWGC. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. ^ Historical Records of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, vol 4. Blackwood, Edinburgh and London. 1931.
  10. ^ "(16) - Army lists > Half-yearly Army lists 1923 - Feb 1950 (From 1947, annual, despite the name) > 1939 > Second half - British Military lists - National Library of Scotland". digital.nls.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Colonel Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, KT". The Telegraph. 29 May 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Clan Cameron genealogies". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  13. ^ Home Guard List, p. 5.
  14. ^ a b "The Chiefs of Clan Cameron". www.lochiel.net. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  15. ^ "'Commando Basic Training Centre' | ͏". www.commandoveterans.org. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  16. ^ The Scots Magazine. D.C. Thomson. 1948. p. 327.
  17. ^ a b Burke's Peerage, p.657
  18. ^ a b c d Burke's Peerage, p.656
  19. ^ "Duke of Montrose (S, 1707): Cracroft's Peerage". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2023.

Bibliography

  • Home Guard List 1941: Scottish Command. London, United Kingdom: Savannah Paperback Classics. 1941. ISBN 978-1902366258.
  • Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (107 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A: Burke's Peerage. 2003.
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Alfred Mackintosh
 Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire
1939–1951 		Succeeded by