John Duncan (British Army officer)

Major-General Sir John Duncan KCB CMG CVO DSO GCStJ (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[1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1891-1928
Rank	Major-General
Commands held	78th Infantry Brigade 22nd Division 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division Shanghai Defence Force 1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I
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 Order of the White Eagle[2]

Military career

Duncan 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, 1897-8 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]

He served in World War I at Gallipoli before being appointed commander of 78th Infantry Brigade in 1916 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. He was appointed military attaché in Rome in 1920, general officer commanding 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division in 1923 and major-general commanding the Shanghai Military Force in China in 1927-8.[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.[8] 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.[9] His last appointment was as general officer commanding 1st Infantry Division at Aldershot early in 1928 before retiring later that year and receiving a knighthood.[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.[10]

References

1. DUNCAN, Maj.-Gen. Sir John, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2015 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
2. Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 597.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
3. "No. 26140". The London Gazette. 3 March 1891. p. 1203.
4. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
5. "No. 27418". The London Gazette. 21 March 1902. p. 1963.
6. "No. 27409". The London Gazette. 21 February 1902. p. 1120.
7. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36658). London. 7 January 1902. p. 8.
8. Queen's Royal Surreys
9. Streets of Shanghai
10. "No. 37632". The London Gazette. 28 June 1946. p. 3288.