Neill Malcolm
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Neill Malcolm KCB
DSO
(8 October 1869 – 21 December 1953) was a British Army
officer who commanded the Troops in the Straits Settlements
.
, Eton College
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
, Malcolm was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
in 1889. He served in the Second Boer War
and was made Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters 1906 and Secretary of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence
in 1908 before becoming a General Staff Officer at the Staff College, Camberley
in 1912. He served in World War I
as a General Staff Officer with the British Expeditionary Force, with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
and then with 5th Army in France
. He was then General Officer Commanding
66th Division from 1917, 39th Division
from 1918 and 30th Division from later that year. After the War he was Chief of the British Military Mission to Berlin
from 1919 and then General Officer Commanding the Troops in the Straits Settlements
in 1921 before retiring in 1924. While in Berlin it has been suggested that Malcolm was the origin of the Stab-in-the-back legend that helped propel Hitler to power. In the autumn of 1919, when Erich Ludendorff
was dining with Malcolm in Berlin, Malcolm asked Ludendorff why he thought Germany lost the war. Ludendorff replied with his list of excuses: the home front failed us, etc. To cut a long story short,
In retirement he was President of the North Borneo Chartered Company from 1926 to 1946 and High Commissioner for German refugees from 1936 to 1938.
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...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(8 October 1869 – 21 December 1953) 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...
officer who commanded the Troops in the Straits Settlements
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
.
Military career
Educated at St Peter's School, YorkSt Peter's School, York
St Peter's School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school located in the English City of York, with extensive grounds on the banks of the River Ouse...
, Eton College
Eton 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"....
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, Malcolm was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
in 1889. He served in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and was made Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters 1906 and Secretary of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence
Committee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of World War II...
in 1908 before becoming a General Staff Officer at the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1912. He served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a General Staff Officer with the British Expeditionary Force, with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was part of the British Army during World War I, that commanded all Allied forces at Gallipoli and Salonika. This included the initial naval operation to force the straits of the Dardanelles. Its headquarters was formed in March 1915...
and then with 5th Army in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was then General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
66th Division from 1917, 39th Division
39th Division (United Kingdom)
The 39th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I.Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester, the division was also stationed at Aldershot and Whitley, before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916.The division suffered heavy losses...
from 1918 and 30th Division from later that year. After the War he was Chief of the British Military Mission to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 1919 and then General Officer Commanding the Troops in the Straits Settlements
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
in 1921 before retiring in 1924. While in Berlin it has been suggested that Malcolm was the origin of the Stab-in-the-back legend that helped propel Hitler to power. In the autumn of 1919, when Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
was dining with Malcolm in Berlin, Malcolm asked Ludendorff why he thought Germany lost the war. Ludendorff replied with his list of excuses: the home front failed us, etc. To cut a long story short,
Malcolm asked him: "Do you mean, General, that you were stabbed in the back?" Ludendorff's eyes lit up and he leapt upon the phrase like a dog on a bone. "Stabbed in the back?" he repeated. "Yes, that's it, exactly, we were stabbed in the back." And thus was born a legend which has never entirely perished.
In retirement he was President of the North Borneo Chartered Company from 1926 to 1946 and High Commissioner for German refugees from 1936 to 1938.