George Don (British Army officer)

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Sir

George Don
Walcheren Expedition
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
Other workLieutenant Governor of Jersey
Governor of Gibraltar

Peace of Amiens. During and following the wars, Don also served as Lieutenant Governor of Jersey and Governor Gibraltar
, implementing organizational reforms with much success in both places.

Early career

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 an

James Murray and served on the staff of the former as aide-de-camp and was consequently promoted to captain.[1]

During the

colonel.[1]

French Revolutionary War

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 the Prussian King. Prussia had been knocked out of the war following the Peace 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 a

Guillaume Brune during negotiations to allow a peaceful withdrawal of allied troops.[1]

Charged with attempting to provoke an anti-French rebellion amongst 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 the

Lieutenant-General on 1 January 1805, on 5 November of the same year he sailed with a 14,000 strong force to Germany, part of the Hanover Expedition. Landing at Cuxhaven 17th he was superseded by Lord Cathcart soon after his arrival.[1]

Governor of Jersey and Gibraltar

Bust of George Don outside the Gibraltar Parliament by William Grinsell Nicholl[2]
Saint Helier, Jersey

In 1805 Don's colonelcy was transferred to the

Walcheren Expedition to command the withdrawal of thousands of desperately sick men.[1]

In 1814, after lengthy service on Jersey, Don became a full

Alameda Botanic Gardens park.[1]

Don's stay in Gibraltar also included several other innovations including the first police force, the forerunner of the Royal 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 whilst the title of Governor was held by the absentee Duke of Kent until his death in 1820, followed by the Earl of Chatham.

Later life

Don also served as the colonel of the

Knight 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 of Scarborough Castle. He did not return to England however. He died of influenza on 17 January 1832 and was buried in the new English Church (later the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar) which he had had built during his time as Governor.[1] Cape Don, at the tip of the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia, is named after him.[3] The MV Cape Don
is in turn named after the lighthouse.

Notes

  1. ^
    Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
    , S. G. Benady. Retrieved 3 December 2007
  2. ^ Dictionary of British Architects 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis
  3. ^ "The Cape Don Lighthouse". Lighthouses of Northern Territory. Lighthouses of Australia Inc.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Don.
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the 7th West India Regiment
1799–1805 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonel of the 96th 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 the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot
1818–1829 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Gibraltar
(acting)
1825–1831 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir Henry Clinton
 Colonel of 3rd (the East Kent) Regiment of Foot
1829–1832 		Succeeded by
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