George Macdonogh
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Sir George Mark Watson Macdonogh GBE
, KCB
, KCMG
(4 March 1865 - 10 July 1942) was a British Army
general officer. After early service in the Royal Engineers
he became a staff officer prior to the outbreak of the First World War, and held a series of intelligence posts during the war.
. He was promoted to captain in 1892, and attended the Staff College
in 1896; he and James Edmonds
, passed the entrance exam with sufficiently high marks that the publication of results had to be adjusted in order to conceal the margin between them and their classmates. During the course, finding it below his abilities, Macdonogh studied the law and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn
.
After a series of minor staff posts, he was appointed to the general staff
in the War Office
in 1906, rising to a colonelcy in 1912. He was responsible for the command of Section 5 of the Directorate of Military Intelligence
, later to become MI5
, which was charged with controlling enemy aliens in the event of a war. During the Curragh Incident
in March 1914 he supported the use of force in Ulster, one of the few members of the general staff to do so.
, intended to target German civilian morale.
His intelligence work was highly effective; by mid-1917 he had produced a German order of battle
for the Western Front that was later found to be complete save for one misplaced unit, and in 1918 he successfully predicted the German Spring Offensive
. However, his effectiveness was limited by personal conflicts; he was distrusted by Douglas Haig
and by John Charteris
, the senior intelligence commander, due to his Catholicism and a suspicion that he was too defeatist in his assessments of German strength.
, a post he held until September 1922. He retired from the Army in 1925, and began a business career. In later years, he was a commissioner of the Imperial War Graves Commission and the Royal Commission on Local Government. During the early years of the Second World War, he served on the central committee for price controls, and helped organise relief work for Finland.
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 George Mark Watson Macdonogh GBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, 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...
, KCMG
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....
(4 March 1865 - 10 July 1942) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general officer. After early service in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
he became a staff officer prior to the outbreak of the First World War, and held a series of intelligence posts during the war.
Early career
Macdonogh joined the army in July 1884, receiving a commission in the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He was promoted to captain in 1892, and attended the Staff College
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
in 1896; he and James Edmonds
James Edward Edmonds
Brigadier General James Edward Edmonds CB, CMG was a British First World War officer of the Royal Engineers who in the role of British official historian was responsible for the post-war compilation of the 28-volume History of the Great War...
, passed the entrance exam with sufficiently high marks that the publication of results had to be adjusted in order to conceal the margin between them and their classmates. During the course, finding it below his abilities, Macdonogh studied the law and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
.
After a series of minor staff posts, he was appointed to the general staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
in 1906, rising to a colonelcy in 1912. He was responsible for the command of Section 5 of the Directorate of Military Intelligence
Directorate of Military Intelligence
The Directorate of Military Intelligence was a department of the British War Office.Over its lifetime the Directorate underwent a number of organisational changes, absorbing and shedding sections over time.- History :...
, later to become MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
, which was charged with controlling enemy aliens in the event of a war. During the Curragh Incident
Curragh Incident
The Curragh Incident of 20 March 1914, also known as the Curragh Mutiny, occurred in the Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. The Curragh Camp was then the main base for the British Army in Ireland, which at the time formed part of the United Kingdom....
in March 1914 he supported the use of force in Ulster, one of the few members of the general staff to do so.
First World War
On the outbreak of the First World War, he was assigned to the British Expeditionary Force as the senior officer in charge of intelligence, and promoted to brigadier-general in November 1914. After a year and a half working on operational intelligence, he was promoted to major-general and recalled to the War Office in January 1916, where he created MI7MI7
MI7, the British Military Intelligence Section 7 , was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence. Part of the War Office, MI7 was set up to work in the fields of propaganda and censorship.-History:...
, intended to target German civilian morale.
His intelligence work was highly effective; by mid-1917 he had produced a German order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
for the Western Front that was later found to be complete save for one misplaced unit, and in 1918 he successfully predicted the German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
. However, his effectiveness was limited by personal conflicts; he was distrusted by Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I.Douglas Haig may also refer to:* Club Atlético Douglas Haig, a football club from Argentina* Douglas Haig , American actor...
and by John Charteris
John Charteris
Brigadier General John Charteris CMG, DSO was a British general during the First World War. He was Sir Douglas Haig's Chief of British Army Intelligence Officer at the British Expeditionary Force's headquarters from 1915 to 1918....
, the senior intelligence commander, due to his Catholicism and a suspicion that he was too defeatist in his assessments of German strength.
Later career
Shortly before the end of the war, in September, he was promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed Adjutant-General to the ForcesAdjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
, a post he held until September 1922. He retired from the Army in 1925, and began a business career. In later years, he was a commissioner of the Imperial War Graves Commission and the Royal Commission on Local Government. During the early years of the Second World War, he served on the central committee for price controls, and helped organise relief work for Finland.