Sir George Don | |
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| Born | 30 April 1756 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 17 January 1832 (aged 75) |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1770–1832 |
| Rank | General |
| Conflicts | American War of Independence • Siege of Fort St. Philip, Menorca French Revolutionary Wars •Flanders Campaign •Invasion of the Batavian Republic Napoleonic Wars •Walcheren Expedition |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
| Other work | Lieutenant Governor of Jersey Governor of Gibraltar |
GeneralSir George DonGCB GCH (30 April 1756 – 17 January 1832) was aBritish Army officer who served in theAmerican War of Independence andFrench Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His service was conducted across Europe, but his most important work was in military and defensive organisation against the threat of French invasion during theFrench Revolutionary andNapoleonic Wars. Don was also frequently requested for advisory and espionage work by British generals and was once employed by thePrussian State as a spy. In 1799 he was arrested during a truce byGuillaume Brune who accused him of attempting to foment rebellion in theBatavian Republic and was not released until thePeace of Amiens. During and following the wars, Don also served asLieutenant Governor ofJersey andGovernorGibraltar, implementing organizational reforms with much success in both places.
Don was born in 1756, the second son of wine merchant John Don and his wife Anna Seton. In 1770, Don joined the army as anensign in the51st Regiment of Foot and was stationed inMenorca from 1774 after being made Lieutenant. Menorca was, at the time, a British-administered territory and naval base, and was heavily fortified after its capture by the Spanish and recapture in theSeven Years' War twenty years earlier. During his service on the island, Don became close acquaintances with the island's governor General Johnstone and GeneralJames Murray and served on the staff of the former as aide-de-camp and was consequently promoted tocaptain.[1]
During theAmerican Revolutionary War, Menorca came under attack by Spanish and French forces and Don was an important figure in the seven-month siege of the British garrison in Fort St. Philip. Despite the enforced surrender of the garrison in 1782, his reputation was enhanced and he gained further status when he married Murray's niece, Maria Margaretta, in 1783. Promotedmajor the same year, Don transferred to the59th Regiment of Foot for his first posting inGibraltar where he served on peacetime duty until 1791.[1] With war again looming in the aftermath of theFrench Revolution, he was promoted tolieutenant colonel and given a staff appointment inJersey, where his regiment was stationed in 1792. Jersey was an obvious target of the French if war was declared, and he worked on the island's defences before being called away by Murray in 1793 to serve as his aide-de-camp in the unsuccessfulFlanders Campaign. For his services in this campaign, Don was given the ceremonial post ofAide-de-Camp toKing George III and was promoted to fullcolonel.[1]
Don was not evacuated with the rest of the British army in 1795 after the campaign's collapse, but instead remained in Europe in the service of thePrussian King. Prussia had been knocked out of the war following thePeace of Basel in 1795, but remained allied to Britain in her struggle with France and Don was seconded to the Prussian court as a liaison officer. He may have coordinated espionage activities against France during this period, although records are vague.[1]
In 1798 Don returned to Britain as amajor-general and was placed in command of the defences of theIsle of Wight, a weak spot on the Southern Coast of England. In 1799, he was attached to the force under theDuke of York which invaded theBatavian Republic with an Anglo-Russian army. He was ostensibly in command of the 3rd Division under SirDavid Dundas but was frequently detached on espionage and negotiation duties. This culminated in his arrest byGuillaume Brune during negotiations to allow a peaceful withdrawal of allied troops.[1]
Charged with attempting to provoke an anti-French rebellion among the Dutch inhabitants of the Batavian Republic, Don spent the next two years in prison, only being released at the end of 1800 in the prelude to thePeace of Amiens. While in captivity, he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the9th West India Regiment. On his release, Don returned to Scotland and in 1802 was in charge of organising and training the militia forces which were tasked with the defence of the South-Eastern coast of Scotland. In 1803 he returned to London to command theKing's German Legion, aHanoverian formation seconded to the British Army. PromotedLieutenant-General on 1 January 1805, on 5 November of the same year he sailed with a 14,000 strong force to Germany, part of theHanover Expedition. Landing atCuxhaven 17th he was superseded byLord Cathcart soon after his arrival.[1]
In 1805 Don's colonelcy was transferred to the96th Regiment of Foot. In 1806 he was madeLieutenant Governor of Jersey, a post he maintained for the entire duration of theNapoleonic Wars. In Jersey, he built roads and defences, organised local militia and built up a strong relationship with the local community.[1] His tenure there was only briefly broken in 1809 when he was attached to the ill-fatedWalcheren Expedition to command the withdrawal of thousands of desperately sick men.[1]
In 1814, after lengthy service on Jersey, Don became a fullGeneral and took the post ofGovernor of Gibraltar. Finding Gibraltar in the grip ofyellow fever, he used his experience from past commissions to organise and build an effective sanitation system in the territory, including a clean water supply, a new hospital and theAlameda Botanic Gardens park.[1]
Don's stay in Gibraltar also included several other innovations including the first police force, the forerunner of theRoyal Gibraltar Police, the main courthouse, updated defences and a network of roads connecting the peninsula with the Spanish hinterland.[1] During his 17-year stay in Gibraltar, Don became very popular and was effectively governor except for 1821–25, when Lord Chatham was in Gibraltar. He was in charge of Gibraltar as Lieutenant-Governor while the title of Governor was held by the absentee Duke of Kent until his death in 1820, followed by the Earl of Chatham.
Don also served as the colonel of the36th Regiment of Foot and the3rd Regiment of Foot during his time in Gibraltar. He retired in late 1831 as aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath and aKnight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order for his extensive service as a military officer and colonial governor and was given the retirement posting of Governor ofScarborough Castle. He did not return to England however. He died ofinfluenza on 17 January 1832 and was buried in the new English Church (later theCathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar) which he had had built during his time as Governor.[1] Cape Don, at the tip of theCobourg Peninsula,Northern Territory, Australia, is named after him.[3] TheMV Cape Don is in turn named after the lighthouse.
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Colonel of the7th West India Regiment 1799–1805 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the96th Regiment of Foot 1805–1818 | Succeeded by Sir Thomas Hislop(as 95th Regiment) |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Jersey 1806–1814 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Gibraltar (acting) 1814–1821 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot 1818–1829 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Gibraltar (acting) 1825–1831 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of3rd (the East Kent) Regiment of Foot 1829–1832 | Succeeded by |
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