Admiral John McClure
Encyclopedia
Admiral John McClure was a Scotsman
serving in the Imperial Chinese Navy
who was appointed second-in-command to Admiral Ding Ruchang
(also known as Admiral Ting)
in Kirkudbright.
After an education at nearby Sorbie
he joined the Merchant Marine
. He was employed by the Taku Tug & Lighter Company and for many years was a ship’s captain for Hong Kong
based Jardine, Mattheson, and Co. and so knew the coasts of China well.
Before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War
he had been the Master of the 'Kow Shing’. A merchant ship built in 1883 in Barrow-in-Furness
in England
McClure was no longer in command of the ‘Kow Shing’ by July 1894. He had been appointed to command the Chinese despatch boat the 'Pei-Ho' and was carrying despatches to Port Arthur, Chemulpoo
and other Chinese ports.
By mid-November 1894 McClure had been appointed “Assistant Admiral of the Pei-Yang squadron
”.
committed suicide after the retreat of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet
after the Battle of the Yalu River (1894) into the port of Weihaiwei. Along with Ding Ruchang several other senior Chinese officers committed suicide on the 12-13 February 1895 after their failure to stop the Japanese successfully attacking Weihaiwei
.
Ding Ruchang had started surrender negotiations with the Japanese commander on 12 February but after the suicides of all the senior Chinese officers it fell to McClure to finish negotiating the surrender of Weihaiwei and the Beiyang Fleet
with Admiral Ito
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
.
McClure was taken to Japan
after the surrender and from there returned to the U.K
and settled in Kirkcudbright.
As well as being made and Admiral by the Chinese he was also appointed a Mandarin
of the highest class
, Dumfries & Galloway. Scotland
on 18 January 1920 after a long illness. He was aged 83.
He had only moved to Garlieston in the last two years of his life so he was buried in the town he was born in and lived in when he returned from China. He is buried in St Cuthbert’s Old Churchyard, Kirkcudbright
.
His grave is inscribed:
Scotsman
Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
serving in the Imperial Chinese Navy
Imperial Chinese Navy
The Chinese Imperial Navy came into existence from 1132 during the Song Dynasty to the end of the Qing period in 1912. Prior to 12th century, Chinese naval ships were not organized into a uniform force...
who was appointed second-in-command to Admiral Ding Ruchang
Ding Ruchang
thumb|250px|Admiral Ding RuchangDing Ruchang joined the Taiping Rebellion in 1854. But later he surrendered with Cheng Xuechi in the Battle of Anqing in 1861 and joined Li Hongzhang as a cavalryman to fight against the Taiping Rebellion. In 1874, he protested against the Qing Dynasty government's...
(also known as Admiral Ting)
Before 1894
McClure was born on 13 November 1837, the son of John and Margaret McClure. His father was the architect on Lord Galloway’s estates in Wigtownshire and at the time of John's birth was supervising the building of the parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in Kirkudbright.
After an education at nearby Sorbie
Sorbie
Sorbie is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.It is located mid-way between Wigtown and Whithorn on the A714 road. Formerly served by the Wigtownshire Railway branch of the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, Sorbie once boasted a creamery some of whose produce was exported...
he joined the Merchant Marine
Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
. He was employed by the Taku Tug & Lighter Company and for many years was a ship’s captain for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
based Jardine, Mattheson, and Co. and so knew the coasts of China well.
Before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
he had been the Master of the 'Kow Shing’. A merchant ship built in 1883 in Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
McClure was no longer in command of the ‘Kow Shing’ by July 1894. He had been appointed to command the Chinese despatch boat the 'Pei-Ho' and was carrying despatches to Port Arthur, Chemulpoo
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
and other Chinese ports.
By mid-November 1894 McClure had been appointed “Assistant Admiral of the Pei-Yang squadron
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
”.
Service in First Sino-Japanese War
Admiral Ding RuchangDing Ruchang
thumb|250px|Admiral Ding RuchangDing Ruchang joined the Taiping Rebellion in 1854. But later he surrendered with Cheng Xuechi in the Battle of Anqing in 1861 and joined Li Hongzhang as a cavalryman to fight against the Taiping Rebellion. In 1874, he protested against the Qing Dynasty government's...
committed suicide after the retreat of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
after the Battle of the Yalu River (1894) into the port of Weihaiwei. Along with Ding Ruchang several other senior Chinese officers committed suicide on the 12-13 February 1895 after their failure to stop the Japanese successfully attacking Weihaiwei
Battle of Weihaiwei
The Battle of Weihaiwei was a 23 day siege with a major land and naval component during the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895 in Weihai, Shandong Province, China) between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China...
.
Ding Ruchang had started surrender negotiations with the Japanese commander on 12 February but after the suicides of all the senior Chinese officers it fell to McClure to finish negotiating the surrender of Weihaiwei and the Beiyang Fleet
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
with Admiral Ito
Itoh Sukeyuki
- Notes :...
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
.
McClure was taken to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after the surrender and from there returned to the U.K
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and settled in Kirkcudbright.
As well as being made and Admiral by the Chinese he was also appointed a Mandarin
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
of the highest class
After 1895
McClure died at his home "Seaview", GarliestonGarlieston
Garlieston is a small planned coastal village in south west Scotland founded circa 1790 by Lord Garlies.-Location & History:The village lies northwest of Whithorn and a few miles north of Cruggleton Castle which was abandoned in the 17th century...
, Dumfries & Galloway. Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 18 January 1920 after a long illness. He was aged 83.
He had only moved to Garlieston in the last two years of his life so he was buried in the town he was born in and lived in when he returned from China. He is buried in St Cuthbert’s Old Churchyard, Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
.
His grave is inscribed:
- Admiral John McClure
- Imp Chinese Navy
- who died at Seaview, Garlieston
- 18 January 1920
- in his 83rd year
See also
- Battle of WeihaiweiBattle of WeihaiweiThe Battle of Weihaiwei was a 23 day siege with a major land and naval component during the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895 in Weihai, Shandong Province, China) between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China...
- Beiyang FleetBeiyang FleetThe Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
- Ding RuchangDing Ruchangthumb|250px|Admiral Ding RuchangDing Ruchang joined the Taiping Rebellion in 1854. But later he surrendered with Cheng Xuechi in the Battle of Anqing in 1861 and joined Li Hongzhang as a cavalryman to fight against the Taiping Rebellion. In 1874, he protested against the Qing Dynasty government's...
- Jardine Matheson HoldingsJardine Matheson HoldingsJardine Matheson Holdings Limited often referred to as Jardines, is a multinational corporation incorporated in Bermuda and based in Hong Kong. While listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange, the vast majority of Jardines shares are traded in Singapore...
for Jardine Matheson & Co. and its shipping subsidiary the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company - Battle of Pungdo Battle of PungdoThe Battle of Pungdo or Feng-tao was the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 offshore of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Korea between cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy of Meiji Japan and components of the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China.-Background:Both Qing...
for the sinking of the 'Kow-Shing' - First Sino-Japanese WarFirst Sino-Japanese WarThe First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...