Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm DSO

Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm was born on 10 Dec 1860, the son of William Malcolm of Glenmorag, Argyllshire. His mother was Amelia Jane Holdsworth. On 22 Jan 1879 he joined the 42nd Black Watch as a 2nd lieutenant and in 1880 he transferred to the Cameron Highlanders as a lieutenant. He went with the regiment to Egypt in 1882 and was wounded twice at Tel-el-Kebir. He was in the Nile Expedition serving as a staff captain with the whaleboats. He was promoted to major and commanded the 1st battalion in 1900 and was mentioned in despatches for his service at Diamond Hill and operations in Transvaal and the Orange Free State. He was also awarded the DSO.
Henry Malcolm was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 2 April 1902 and was appointed commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion. He was awarded brevet of colonel in 1905 and was appointed to the command of a Highland Brigade consisting of the Cameron and Seaforth Highlanders from 1906 to 1911. He was promoted to colonel in 1910 and appointed CB in the Coronation honours in 1911.
He had a period of command in South Africa from 1911 to 1913 and then came an appointment which was to severely tarnish his reputation. He was made Commanding Officer of Troops in Ceylon in 1913, and after a riot in 1915 martial law was declared. He ordered strict enforcement of curfews and gave orders to shoot anyone deemed to be a rioter. He is quoted as instructing his men to, “..not waste ammunition, but to shoot through the heart any Sinhalese that may be found on the streets.” He instituted Field General Courts-Martial that convicted Captain Henry Perdis, a Ceylonese militia officer, of treason, and Edmund Hewavitarne, a Ceylonese reservist in the Defence Force, also convicted of treason. Edmund died in prison, while Henry Perdis was executed. Colonel Malcolm’s harsh measures sparked off the independence movement in Ceylon. In September 1915 he was transferred to the Western Front as a brigade commander. He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1916 and after a further spell in France, retired from the army in December 1917.
He was married in 1908 to Edith Sabel and had a daughter, Betty, born on 22 Oct 1913. He died on 11 December 1938. The photo shows him in the dress levée uniform of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders in the rank of colonel c1905.

Regimental Details | Commanding Officers