Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, KCB
, CMG
, DSO
(6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian
police officer and soldier.
, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School
, Port Hope, Ontario
, and at the Royal Military College of Canada
, Kingston, Ontario
. Macdonell graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1886. He received a commission in the Royal Artillery
but resigned without actually joining for family reasons.
, student number 151.
He became a Lieutenant in the Canadian Militia on 26 June 1886. He joined the Regular Canadian Army as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Mounted Infantry, Permanent Corps of Canada, on 6 April 1888.
He exchanged into the North-West Mounted Police in September 1889, and was Adjutant of the whole force. He was in command of C Division and the Battleford District. He volunteered into the 2nd Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War
in January 1900, as Captain, and was promoted Major in May 1900. He was awarded a DSO
for his actions with 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles in South Africa
.
He fought with the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles and was commander of the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
.
Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, KCB, CMG, DSO, C de G was Commanding Officer of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
regiment, during the periods March 1907 to April 1910 and April 1912 to December 1915.
He was the Commander 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 1st Canadian Division during the First World War.
After being promoted to Brigadier-General, he commanded the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and in June 1917 the 1st Canadian Division
. Pierre Berton described MacDonnell in the book Vimy:
MacDonell was known as a front-line soldier; indeed, (28 year old intelligence officer Hal) Wallis was to say he spent as much time at the front with his brigadier as he had in his days as a private. Not for nothing did the men of the 7th call MacDonell "Fighting Mac" and sometimes "Batty Mac" because of his eccentricities under fire. Everybody knew the story of how he'd gone so far into No Man's Land that a sniper put a bullet in his arm. Instead of ducking, Batty Mac had stood up swearing, shaking his unwounded arm angrily at the sniper, who immediately put another bullet in his good arm. And everybody also knew that MacDonell, at the Somme, had insisted on walking among the wounded after the attack on the Regina Trench, unmindful of the enemy shells, to salute the corpses of the Black Watch. A sentimental Scot who sometimes swore in Gaelic in moments of great pressure, MacDonell stopped at every corpse and said "I salute you, my brave Highlander," until Wallis managed to pull him to safety.
In 1919, he was appointed Commandant of the RMC
. He retired from the Army in 1925 when he was the Commandant of the Royal Military College holding the rank of Major General. From 8 May 1922 until his death in January 1942, he was Honorary Colonel to Lord Strathcona's Horse
.
He was placed on the Reserve of Officers as a Lieutenant General.
He died in 1942 and was buried in Catarqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario
.
in Kingston, Ontario
is named after Lieutenant-General, Sir A.C. Macdonell, KCB, CMG, DSO, C de G. The personal Coat of Arms
of Lt Gen Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell
were carved on the Currie Building at the Royal Military College of Canada
.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
police officer and soldier.
Education
He was born in WindsorWindsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School
Trinity College School
Trinity College School is a coeducational, independent boarding/day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than 2 years prior to Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School for grades 9 to 12 and a Junior School for grades 5 to 8.Among its...
, Port Hope, Ontario
Port Hope, Ontario
Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County...
, and at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. Macdonell graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1886. He received a commission in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
but resigned without actually joining for family reasons.
Military service
Macdonell had distinguished record of military service. He graduated from RMCRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, student number 151.
He became a Lieutenant in the Canadian Militia on 26 June 1886. He joined the Regular Canadian Army as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Mounted Infantry, Permanent Corps of Canada, on 6 April 1888.
He exchanged into the North-West Mounted Police in September 1889, and was Adjutant of the whole force. He was in command of C Division and the Battleford District. He volunteered into the 2nd Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
in January 1900, as Captain, and was promoted Major in May 1900. He was awarded a DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for his actions with 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
He fought with the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles and was commander of the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Formed in 1915, they were transported to England later that year...
.
Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, KCB, CMG, DSO, C de G was Commanding Officer of the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of Land Force Western Area's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group...
regiment, during the periods March 1907 to April 1910 and April 1912 to December 1915.
He was the Commander 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade and 1st Canadian Division during the First World War.
After being promoted to Brigadier-General, he commanded the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and in June 1917 the 1st Canadian Division
1st Canadian Division
Formed in August 1914, the 1st Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The division was initially made up from provisional battalions that were named after their province of origin but these titles were dropped before the division arrived in Britain on October 14,...
. Pierre Berton described MacDonnell in the book Vimy:
MacDonell was known as a front-line soldier; indeed, (28 year old intelligence officer Hal) Wallis was to say he spent as much time at the front with his brigadier as he had in his days as a private. Not for nothing did the men of the 7th call MacDonell "Fighting Mac" and sometimes "Batty Mac" because of his eccentricities under fire. Everybody knew the story of how he'd gone so far into No Man's Land that a sniper put a bullet in his arm. Instead of ducking, Batty Mac had stood up swearing, shaking his unwounded arm angrily at the sniper, who immediately put another bullet in his good arm. And everybody also knew that MacDonell, at the Somme, had insisted on walking among the wounded after the attack on the Regina Trench, unmindful of the enemy shells, to salute the corpses of the Black Watch. A sentimental Scot who sometimes swore in Gaelic in moments of great pressure, MacDonell stopped at every corpse and said "I salute you, my brave Highlander," until Wallis managed to pull him to safety.
In 1919, he was appointed Commandant of the RMC
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
. He retired from the Army in 1925 when he was the Commandant of the Royal Military College holding the rank of Major General. From 8 May 1922 until his death in January 1942, he was Honorary Colonel to Lord Strathcona's Horse
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
Lord Strathcona's Horse is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Forces. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of Land Force Western Area's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group...
.
He was placed on the Reserve of Officers as a Lieutenant General.
He died in 1942 and was buried in Catarqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
.
Legacy
The Sir Archibald Macdonell Athletic Centre or SAM Centre, which opened in 1974, at the RMCRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
is named after Lieutenant-General, Sir A.C. Macdonell, KCB, CMG, DSO, C de G. The personal Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Lt Gen Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, KCB, CMG, DSO was a Canadian police officer and soldier.-Education:...
were carved on the Currie Building at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
.