Alfred Donald Mackintosh was Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders from 8 August 1903. He was born on 24 June 1851, the son of Alexander Mackintosh, 26th of Mackintosh, of Moy Hall, Inverness. His mother was Charlotte MacLeod, daughter of Alexander MacLeod of Dalvey. They had six children, of which Alfred was the 5th child, and 2nd son. His brother Alexander Aeneas inherited the title 27th of Mackintosh but he died in 1875 so that Alfred became the 28th Chief of the Clan Mackintosh and 29th Chief of Chattan at the age of 24.
He was educated at Cheltenham College and went to RMC Sandhurst from where he was commissioned as an ensign on 27 Aug 1870 into the Highland Light Infantry, promoted to lieutenant on 28 Oct 1871, until 1875 when he inherited the title. He then resigned his commission but became a captain in the Militia. In 1897 the Militia became the 3rd (Militia) Battalion Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, and in the Boer War was embodied and served in Aldershot and Mullingar, Ireland. It was designated 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion in 1908 and amalgamated with the depot.
Chief Mackintosh was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Army on 5 Dec 1900 and appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Battalion on 8 August 1903. He presented the battalion with new Colours at Fort George on 28 June 1909. In World War One they served at Invergordon, protecting the oil tanks at the Naval base, moving to Ireland in 1917. Initially the battalion was commanded by Lt-Col D W Cameron of Locheil but Chief Mackintosh was put in command from 4 Sep 1914 and commanded them for 3 years. During the war the 3rd Battalion supplied drafts of men to the front line. In all they sent 15,583 men to fight with the service battalions. In 1919 the battalion went into ‘suspended animation’.
Chief Mackintosh married Harriet “Ella” Diana Arabella Mary Richards of Cottrell, St Nicholas, near Cardiff. The marriage took place on 14 April 1880. The 28th Chief owned estates covering 124,000 acres in the Highlands, but this large tract of land brought in less income than his wife’s property in Glamorgan. The couple divided their time between three homes; Mayfair, Moy Hall and Cottrell House. They treated the tenants around Cottrell with a Christmas party for the children and food and bags of coal for the poor. They financed a local Reading Room and a cricket pavilion, also raising a Boy Scout troop, providing uniforms, equipment and an old cottage as a meeting place.
Chief Alfred held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire, President of the Highland Agricultural Society, President of the Cardiff Caledonian Society and Justice of the Peace. Alfred and Ella had two children; Violet born in 1881 died at the age of two. Their son Angus Alexander was born in 1885 and became a captain in the Royal Horse Guards but died of pneumonia in Canada in 1918. Alfred died on 14 November 1938 and was buried in the family vault at Petty near Moy. Ella died in March 1941.
