Douglas Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald

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The Earl of Dundonald
KCB, KCVO
12th Earl of Dundonald.jpg
Lord Dundonald in 1904
Personal details
Born(1852-10-29)29 October 1852
Banff, Scotland
Died12 April 1935(1935-04-12) (aged 82)
Wimbledon, England
Spouse(s)
Winifred Bamford-Hesketh
(m. 1878; died 1924)
RelationsThomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults (brother)
Children5, including Thomas
Parent(s)Thomas Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald
Louisa Harriet Mackinnon
EducationEton College
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
RankLieutenant General
CommandsGeneral Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
2nd Regiment of Life Guards
Battles/warsMahdist War
Second Boer War
First World War
AwardsMentioned in Despatches (7)

Lieutenant General Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald, KCB, KCVO (29 October 1852 – 12 April 1935), styled Lord Cochrane between 1860 and 1885, was a Scottish representative peer and a British Army general.

Early life[]

Cochrane was the second but eldest surviving son of Thomas Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald, by Louisa Harriet Mackinnon, daughter of William Alexander Mackinnon. Thomas Cochrane, 1st Baron Cochrane of Cults, was his younger brother.[1] He was educated at Eton College.[2]

Military career[]

Cochrane was commissioned into the Life Guards in July 1870,[3] and was promoted to lieutenant the following year and captain in 1878.[4] He served in the Nile Expedition,[3] the Desert March and the Relief of Khartoum in 1885.[5] He was appointed Commanding Officer of 2nd Life Guards in 1895.[3]

He served in the Second Boer War and in November 1899 he was appointed Commander of the Mounted Brigade, part of the South Natal Field Force.[3] He took part in the Relief of Ladysmith in February 1900,[3] although his South African troops, unimpressed by his leadership, referred to him as "Dundoodle".[6]

A caricature of Douglas in Canada mocking his stature in a childlike manner (1904)

In April 1902, it was announced that Lord Dundonald would be appointed General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada,[4] the senior military officer in Canada. He left Liverpool on 15 July,[7] and arrived in Quebec and Ottawa later the same month to take up his position.[8] He and his family stayed at Crichton Lodge in Rockcliffe, Ottawa.[9] He served in Canada for two years.

He later served in the First World War as Chairman of the Admiralty Committee on Smoke Screens in 1915.[3]

Inventions[]

A list of his inventions that were patented;

- 'Pocket-stove', (Patented 25 August 1896)[10]

- 'Carriage and Traction Arrangement for a Machine or Quick Firing Gun', (Patented 18 August 1896)[11]

- 'An Improvement in Nosebags for Horses', (Patented 7 September 1896)[12]

- 'Improvements in Horse Traction Arrangements for Vehicles', (Patented 1 May 1897)[13]

- 'Improvements in Ambulances and other Vehicles, especially adapted for Camel Traction', (patented 3 September 1897)[14]

- 'Ammunition holder for machine guns', (Patented 19 July, I898)[15]

- 'Bicycle saddle'; A Yielding Seat applicable in lieu of Saddle, (Patented 6 September, I898)[16]

- 'Apparatus for Mechanical Patrontilførlsen by Guardian'; cartridge supply, (Patented 2 February 1899)[17]

- 'Improvements in the Coupling and Traction of Bicycles', (Patented 18 February 1899)[18]

- 'Tea or Coffee pot'; which was later manufactured as a teapot by the Wedgwood company, and marketed as the "SYP" (Simple Yet Perfect). (Patented 16 July 1901)[19][20]

Personal life[]

Lord Dundonald married Winifred Bamford-Hesketh, daughter of Robert Bamford-Hesketh, in 1878. For many years, the family lived at Gwrych Castle in North Wales, the seat of the Bamford-Hesketh family. The Countess of Dundonald did not accompany her husband to Canada. They had two sons and three daughters:[21]

His wife died in January 1924. Lord Dundonald died at his home in Wimbledon in April 1935, aged 82, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Thomas.[1] He is buried in Achnaba Churchyard, Ardchattan near Benderloch, Lorne, Argyll & Bute. As his eldest son died unmarried and without issue, he was succeeded by his nephew, as the 14th Earl of Dundonald.[21]

Honours and legacy[]

Lord Dundonald was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in December 1901,[22] and in June 1907 knighted as a Knight Commander (KCVO) of the order.

Dundonald Park, in Centretown, Ottawa, is named after him.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b [thepeerage.com Lt.-Gen. Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald]
  2. ^ Dundee Courier, 13 April 1935 [page 7]
  3. ^ a b c d e f "King's College London Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives entry". Retrieved 3 May 2006.
  4. ^ a b "The Command of the Canadian Militia". The Times (36737). London. 9 April 1902. p. 6.
  5. ^ The Peerage.com
  6. ^ Farrar-Hockley 1974, p43
  7. ^ "Lord Dundonald´s departure for Canada". The Times (36821). London. 16 July 1902. p. 9.
  8. ^ "Latest Intelligence - Lord Dundonald at Ottawa". The Times (36831). London. 28 July 1902. p. 5.
  9. ^ "PDF Flip" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Douglas mackinnon baillie hamilton cochrane".
  11. ^ "Carriage and Traction Arrangement for a Machine or Quick Firing Gun".
  12. ^ "An Improvement in Nosebags for Horses".
  13. ^ "Improvements in Horse Traction Arrangements for Vehicles".
  14. ^ "Improvements in Ambulances and other Vehicles, especially adapted for Camel Traction".
  15. ^ "Cochrane".
  16. ^ "Cochrane".
  17. ^ "Anordning ved Patrontilførlsen til Maskinskyts".
  18. ^ "Improvements in the Coupling and Traction of Bicycles".
  19. ^ "Tea or coffee pot".
  20. ^ "Simple Yet Perfect teapot - 1906". wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk. The Wedgwood Museum. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g "Dundonald, Earl of (S, 1669)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  22. ^ "No. 27390". The London Gazette. 24 December 1901. p. 9061.

Books Used for Citations[]

  • Farrar-Hockley, General Sir Anthony (1975). Goughie. London: Granada. ISBN -0246640596.
Military offices
Preceded by General Officer Commanding the Militia of Canada
1902–1904
Succeeded by
Sir Percy Lake
(as Chief of the General Staff (Canada))
Preceded by Colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards
1907–1919
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Dundonald
1885–1935
Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""