Major General Sir John Duncan, KCB, CMG, CVO, DSO (24 February 1872 – 17 September 1948) was a British Army officer who commanded the Shanghai Defence Force.
Sir John Duncan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 February 1872[1] |
| Died | 17 September 1948 (aged 76)[1] |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1891–1928 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | 1st Division Shanghai Defence Force 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division 22nd Division 78th Infantry Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)[2] |
Military career
editDuncan was educated at the Royal Military College, and joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1891.[3] He served on the North West Frontier of the British Raj from 1897 to 1898, before taking part in the Second Boer War (1899–1901).[4] On 31 January 1902 he was seconded for service on the Staff,[5] and appointed brigade major of the infantry brigade at Malta.[6][7]
Duncan served in the First World War in the Gallipoli campaign before being promoted to temporary brigadier general in May 1916[8] and appointed commander of the 78th Infantry Brigade and then General Officer Commanding 22nd Division in Macedonia in 1917.[4] After the war he became major general on the General Staff of the Army of the Black Sea from April to December 1919.[4]
He was appointed military attaché in Rome in 1920, succeeded Steuart Hare as General Officer Commanding 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division in July 1923[9] and major general commanding the Shanghai Military Force in China from 1927 to 1928.[4] The Shanghai Defence Force was established in January 1927 amidst concerns that British lives and properties were at risk during the unrest in China at the time.[10] In practice he had to deal with a diplomatic incident when a British military plane made a forced landing on the International Race Course in Jiangwan.[11] His last appointment was as General Officer Commanding 1st Division at Aldershot early in 1928 before retiring later that year.[4]
Duncan was Chief Commissioner of the St John Ambulance Brigade from 1931 to 1943.[1] He was appointed a Bailiff Grand Cross (the highest grade) of the Venerable Order of St John in 1946.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c DUNCAN, Maj.-Gen. Sir John, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2015 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
- ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 597.
- ^ "No. 26140". The London Gazette. 3 March 1891. p. 1203.
- ^ a b c d e "Duncan, Sir John". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ "No. 27418". The London Gazette. 21 March 1902. p. 1963.
- ^ "No. 27409". The London Gazette. 21 February 1902. p. 1120.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36658. London. 7 January 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 29597". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1916. p. 5287.
- ^ "No. 32850". The London Gazette. 3 August 1923. p. 5340.
- ^ "Queen's Royal Surreys". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ Streets of Shanghai
- ^ "No. 37632". The London Gazette. 28 June 1946. p. 3288.