The Tragedy

Hector Archibald Macdonald’s tragic end came in 1903, from allegations and rumors of crimes that were unproven. This gallant Scottish soldier, Hero of Majuba, Omdurmen, and at Paardeberg was dead.

The Beginning of the end:

General Macdonald was sent to Ceylon as commander of the forces on the Island.
Macdonald was despised by the leaders in Ceylon who felt that they should not have to answer to someone of such "low breeding".

One day Hector yelled at a wealthy political figure to "get off the field" the person was wandering around the field during military exercises. It was said that this person was the motivation behind the rumors to come.
Shortly after a Ceylon newspaper printed a anonymous letter accusing Hector Macdonald of various charges of moral conduct.

Dearest Mab, Do you really mean to say that, besides your-
self, three ladies (all up-country ones,,too) were the only
ones who went to see our new General arrive? ... Then,
dear, you know we heard a whispered rumour that he does not
like ladies, and possibly may have been pleasantly sur-
prised to find he had dropped on a spicy little Isle where
ladies were few and far between.

Times of Ceylon 1903

In the days to come, the more the papers printed, the more the letters came in. Before long the people of Ceylon were in a uproar and wanted justice.

Governor Sir J. West Ridgeway of Ceylon who made it no secret to the British government that he disliked Macdonald and wanted him out of Ceylon, summoned Macdonald to his office and read the accusations brought to him by the people of Ceylon. Macdonald proclaimed his innocence and told Ridgeway "Sir you are in no position to make judgment of me." Ridgeway basically told Macdonald leave Ceylon or face a court martial.

Hector Macdonald left Ceylon to consult with King Edward VII on the matter of his conduct. The King was in no mood to listen and sent Macdonald back to Ceylon to face the angry mob.

While Macdonald was gone Ridgeway was encouraging the people of Ceylon to bring forth any rumors and accusations relating to Hector Macdonald ( Ridgeway could enhance his political career ). Ridgeway was hoping that the King would reassign Macdonald and that he would not be coming back to Ceylon, but word got back to Ridgeway that Macdonald was on his way back to Ceylon, Gov. Ridgeway was outraged.

While Hector Macdonald was on his way back to Ceylon he stopped for a few days rest in Paris. Gov. Ridgeway in his anger decided to do an all out blitz in the Ceylon press and released all the information: rumors, accusations, etc.…about Hector Macdonald which became a media mess, not long the world press picked up on the story and set the stage for Hector’s doom.

On a Sunday morning at the Hotel Regina in Paris, Hector came down from his room to the lobby to get the morning paper and sat down to breakfast. Macdonald opened the paper and was shocked at what he saw in the headlines "grave charge", a witness said a look of despair came across Hector’s face as he held his head low and stared at the paper. Hector got up and walked slowly up the stairs and entered his room, sat on the bed, raised the revolver to his head and shot himself.

MacDonald was "a great simple lion-hearted man with the spirit of a child; with all his experience in the army, he still took the word honour seriously, and the open scandal of the accusation had struck down his standard."- Aleister Crowley

The people of Ceylon questioned his age, and that Hector was not married. In fact Hector was married and had a son, and the fact that Lord Kitchener did not allow his officers to marry, Hector kept his marriage a secret for years.

When Hector’s wife Christina Macdonald came to Paris to claim Hector’s body, the British government was stunned to learn that Macdonald had a wife and son. The government then offered Lady Macdonald a heroes funeral, Lady Macdonald basically said: no leave us alone.

The fact that Hector committed suicide, most would see it as a act of guilt. In fact Hector Macdonald was suffering from Dysentery, was in general poor health, and greatly depressed, his suicide might not of been a act of guilt, just poor judgment of a poorly beaten down man. A great Highland hero had been destroyed, and his accomplishments to the British Empire forgotten.

"Let people be honest, and while I live they shall never have a speck to put on my life, morally or otherwise."- Hector Macdonald

A Commission's Findings in 1903 (said to have been secretly financed by Andrew Carnegie) stated:

"the INHUMAN and CRUEL suggestions of crime were prompted through vulgar feelings of SPITE and JEALOUSY in his rising to such a high rank of distinction in the British army"

Letter to William Macdonald:

"We judge your noble relative to have been the victim of infamous slander, started and spead through contemptible jealousy and envy that attends brilliant success with high position, and it is hoped and prayed for that, through the unerring justice of God, those who so wickedly hounded a fine soldier to untimely death may meet with lifelong remorse and well-merited punishment." - Marie Corelli, Novelist

A SEALED envelope which lies in the strongroom of a Dingwall law firm may reveal the truth behind the circumstances which led to the downfall of the Highlands' most honoured hero.

Major General Sir Hector Macdonald KCB, DSO, ADC, LLD, or Black Isle born "fighting Mac" as he was known, shot himself in a Paris hotel in 1903, days before he was due to face court martial in Ceylon for homosexuality.

Whether Sir Hector had indulged in homosexual practices -- or whether the charges were part of a plot by the military establishment which had become jealous of a humble crofter's son rising to such prominence -- has been the subject of debate for almost a century.

Now, however, the existence of two documents have come to light which could uncover the real truth. One is a letter written from Sri Lanka and the other is a document by the late Dr Kenneth Macleod from Ullapool, who carried out extensive research into Sir Hector's life and career.

But in a further twist to the mystery Dr Macleod, who died three months ago in Massachusetts, has directed that the envelope containing his document must not be opened until March 2003.

The date coincides with the expiry of the 100-year rule which forbids publication of such military archives held by the old India Office in London.

The Ross-shire Journal on Friday, Sept. 11, 1998

Dr Macleod also feared his new evidence could still be perceived as damaging to the reputation of one of Sri Lanka's most prominent and highly-respected families.

Saunders Burns, a now retired partner in the legal firm T S H Burns, confirmed that the firm did retain the letter.

Mr Burns said, "We will honour Dr Macleod's request to retain his document until his family make their wishes known."

The firm's Park Street office sits at the bottom of the hill on which a 100ft memorial was erected in1907 in memory of Ross-shire's famous son.

John Vass, who has also researched the Sir Hector riddle and was in contact with Dr Macleod, said, "To the last, Dr Macleod was cautious about the contents of the letter. All he would disclose to me about it was that he considered it very likely that certain interests in the Colonial Legislature in Sri Lanka bribed witnesses to incriminate Macdonald."

Dr Macleod first took an interest in the Sir Hector tragedy as a GP in Ross-shire during the war. When he emigrated to America with his family, where he was latterly as a leading public health specialist, he continued his research into the allegations of plots to destroy Sir. Hector.

A spokesman for Dingwall Museum Trust, which is currently staging an exhibition about Sir Hector, said, "I have heard of this letter's existence but I don't know what it contains. Needless to say, we are all waiting with bated breath to see what is revealed in 2003."

Courtesy of: Ross-Shire Journal, Dingwall.

Article sent by: Michael MacKenzie

"T S H Burns and Martin Mackay said that the contents were not to be made public because the material contained within was still too sensitive".

Reported by: Author/Journalist Howard Watson