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Sir Colin John Mackenzie, soldier (b 26 Nov 1861; d at London, Eng 7 July 1956). A conscientious Scot who came to Canada as Chief of the General Staff, 1910-13, Mackenzie resigned after a series of disagreements with the free-wheeling Minister of Militia and Defence, Sir Sam HUGHES.
Mackenzie, Sir Colin John
Sir Colin John Mackenzie, soldier (b 26 Nov 1861; d at London, Eng 7 July 1956). A conscientious Scot who came to Canada as Chief of the General Staff, 1910-13, Mackenzie resigned after a series of disagreements with the free-wheeling Minister of Militia and Defence, Sir Sam HUGHES. He protested against Hughes' neglect of his advisors, his contempt for permanent force officers, and his wish to be his own commander-in-chief. Hughes, no lover of the British, accused Mackenzie of acting "ignorantly, illegally, unconstitutionally, tyrannically and contemptuously." Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden wrote friendly letters to the British War Office, but Mackenzie's Canadian appointment was his last.
