Colin Hercules Mackenzie
Encyclopedia
Colin Hercules Mackenzie, CMG
(1898-1986), scholar, soldier, industrialist and aesthete, was a Special Operations Executive
spymaster who led Force 136
throughout the period of its existence during the Second World War.
and Ethel, the daughter of Hercules Grey Ross ICS and granddaughter of the sportsman and photographer, Horatio Ross
. Of Scottish ancestry on both sides of his family, he had the peripatetic childhood typical of many children of British Army officers.
(as a King's Scholar
), Mackenzie was commissioned into the Scots Guards
and was badly wounded at the very end of the First World War, undergoing a series of amputations of his leg in an ultimately successful battle against gangrene. Following the war, Mackenzie went up to King's College, Cambridge
. On informing the Provost that he had forgotten his Latin and proposed to read English, Mackenzie was told that "English is a grubby subject" and elected instead to read Economics. His tutor was John Maynard Keynes
and he graduated with a first class degree, having also won the Chancellor's Medal
for English Verse. He later maintained that Keynes's most useful advice to him had been: "If a book is worth buying at all, it is worth buying in red Morocco
."
. He became a director and played a leading part in the company's global expansion, in particular into South America. In the 1920s he had an intense epistolary relationship with the writer Iris Origo
.
, Mackenzie was appointed to set up a Far Eastern mission for Special Operations Executive
, which became known in due course as Force 136
. Unusually for senior SOE personnel, he remained in his post to the end of the war, despite the numerous political and other challenges that he faced. An official SOE report in 1944 recorded that:
"No one can visit India without being impressed by Colin Mackenzie; by his exceptional grip on the working and personnel of his group; by his capacity to simplify and without delay go to the root of any problem; and by his remarkable sense of timing and diplomacy. The high regard in which he is held in SEAC
, in GHQ India and in the Viceroy's Department is obvious. Not less impressive is the respect which all members of his group, scattered as it is all over India and China, have for his judgement; the faith they have in his capacity to produce the right solution for all problems; and the personal affection in which he is held."
By the end of the war, Mackenzie's command had expanded to the extent that he was responsible for over 30,000 agents in South East Asia.
Mackenzie, a knowledgeable collector of books, also served as Chairman of the Scottish committee of the Arts Council
, in which capacity he did much to encourage the creation of the Scottish Ballet
.
and Aileen Hilda Brodrick. They had one daughter.
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....
(1898-1986), scholar, soldier, industrialist and aesthete, was a Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
spymaster who led Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
throughout the period of its existence during the Second World War.
Origins
Mackenzie was the son of Major-General Sir Colin John MackenzieColin John Mackenzie
Major-General Sir Colin John Mackenzie, KCB was a British soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army, from 1910 until 1913.-Background:...
and Ethel, the daughter of Hercules Grey Ross ICS and granddaughter of the sportsman and photographer, Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross
Horatio Ross was a celebrated sportsman and a pioneer amateur photographer.-Background and early life:Ross was born at Rossie Castle, near Montrose, Angus on 5 September 1801, the son of Hercules Ross, a rich landowner who had acquired a substantial fortune in Jamaica...
. Of Scottish ancestry on both sides of his family, he had the peripatetic childhood typical of many children of British Army officers.
Education
Having attended first Summer Fields and then EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
(as a King's Scholar
King's Scholar
A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar of one of certain public schools...
), Mackenzie was commissioned into the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
and was badly wounded at the very end of the First World War, undergoing a series of amputations of his leg in an ultimately successful battle against gangrene. Following the war, Mackenzie went up to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. On informing the Provost that he had forgotten his Latin and proposed to read English, Mackenzie was told that "English is a grubby subject" and elected instead to read Economics. His tutor was John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, CB FBA , was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments...
and he graduated with a first class degree, having also won the Chancellor's Medal
Chancellor's Gold Medal
The Chancellor's Gold Medal is a prestigious annual award at Cambridge University for poetry, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh during his time as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge...
for English Verse. He later maintained that Keynes's most useful advice to him had been: "If a book is worth buying at all, it is worth buying in red Morocco
Morocco leather
Morocco leather is a leather made from goatskin, dyed red on the grain side and then tanned by hand to bring up the grain in a bird's-eye pattern....
."
Between the wars
After Cambridge, Mackenzie worked for J. and P. Coats in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He became a director and played a leading part in the company's global expansion, in particular into South America. In the 1920s he had an intense epistolary relationship with the writer Iris Origo
Iris Origo
Dame Iris Margaret Origo, Marchesa of Val d'Orcia, DBE , née Cutting, was an Anglo-Irish writer, who devoted much of her life to the improvement of the Tuscan estate at La Foce, near Montepulciano, which she purchased with her husband in the 1920s.-Origins and upbringing:Origo was the daughter of...
.
Spymaster
During the Second World War, at the suggestion of his friend Lord LinlithgowVictor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
, Mackenzie was appointed to set up a Far Eastern mission for Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
, which became known in due course as Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
. Unusually for senior SOE personnel, he remained in his post to the end of the war, despite the numerous political and other challenges that he faced. An official SOE report in 1944 recorded that:
"No one can visit India without being impressed by Colin Mackenzie; by his exceptional grip on the working and personnel of his group; by his capacity to simplify and without delay go to the root of any problem; and by his remarkable sense of timing and diplomacy. The high regard in which he is held in SEAC
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
, in GHQ India and in the Viceroy's Department is obvious. Not less impressive is the respect which all members of his group, scattered as it is all over India and China, have for his judgement; the faith they have in his capacity to produce the right solution for all problems; and the personal affection in which he is held."
By the end of the war, Mackenzie's command had expanded to the extent that he was responsible for over 30,000 agents in South East Asia.
Later years
After the war, Mackenzie was appointed to head the Economic Mission to Greece, but was prevented by ill health from taking up his post. He returned to J. and P. Coats, until retiring to the Isle of Skye.Mackenzie, a knowledgeable collector of books, also served as Chairman of the Scottish committee of the Arts Council
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
, in which capacity he did much to encourage the creation of the Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...
.
Family
In 1940, Mackenzie married Evelyn Clodagh Meade (1916-2001), the daughter of Charles Francis MeadeCharles Francis Meade
Charles Francis Meade was an English mountaineer and author.-Origins:Born in England , Meade was the only surviving child of the Hon. Sir Robert Henry Meade and Caroline Georgiana Grenfell...
and Aileen Hilda Brodrick. They had one daughter.
Sources
- Who was Who (1981-1990)
- http://www.burmastar.org.uk/force_136.htm