John Frederick Peverell Maclaren, 1896-1976 
Born,Scotland. Died,Scotland

Son of John Finlay Maclaren 1868-1908 and Clara Hillhouse.
Married Iris Janet Caselee. (Father of Jean Gaselee Maclaren born 1931, married 
Kenneth Greer).
Lived: Westbourne House, Westbourne Road, Glasgow.

Educated Rugby School. 
Went up to Pembroke, Cambridge then after a year joined,
Ayrshire Yeomanry as a Lieutenant. Fought at Salonika, Gallipoli, in trenches.
Volunteered for Royal Flying Corps served under General Alenby bombing Turks in
Palestine. (Per I G Maclaren:Was an aerial observer at one of the British Army's
last cavalry charges at the Battle of Huj in Palestine in 1917.)

After 14-18 war became involved in making Cape to Cairo Air route. Recalled by irate
mother- back to Cambridge, this time to read law. Allowed a degree on passing his
Part I.

Joined Sudan Political Service as assistant then District Commissioner. Served in
White Nile Province (in East) and later Kordofan (west). Always served in Arabic
speaking North Sudan (Sudan Political Service was only about 50 men responsible to
the Foreign Office in Cairo.) Invalided out in 1936 After brief spell s Bursar of
Royal Veterinary College, North London. Studied Land Agency (ie becoming a Factor).
Qualified F.L.A.S.. Became Bursar of Exeter College, Oxford (which owned large
estates).

Early in World War II joined Intelligence Corps as a Major (later Colonel). Useful
as Arabic speaker and administrator. Worked in Aden. Then as Italians were driven
out, as Chief Secretary, British Somali Land, and Chief Secretary, Cyrenaica (now
part of Libya) were he welcomed back Sayyed (later King) Idris. By the end of World
War II was second in Command of office in Cairo administering ex-Italian Colonies.

In 1945 returned to Exeter College, Oxford as Bursar. Later was Agent to the Duke of
Devonshire (Edward, father of present Andrew) for his Sussex and London Estates.
Then Agent to the Earl of Feversham, who had 55,000 acres in the North York Moors
area. Retired 1956 to Exmoor. (Later a Director of Robert Maclaren & Co., Ltd.,
Glasgow.) 
(By Jean Greer, John Frederick Peverell Maclaren's daughter.)



There are a couple of stories that I remember Ian Maclaren telling about his cousin
Fred. Unfortunately I do not remember them very clearly but they went something like
this.

Story 1. 
At a time when Fred Maclaren was District Commissioner a particular native
tribe, in his area, had a tradition that when someone got very old they had a big
party for them. They got the person so drunk that they passed out, then buried that
person alive. Unfortunately one time that they did this it came to the attention of
the justice system, and this sounded, by British standards, awfully like murder. So
something had to be done. Several members of the tribe were sentenced to prison
terms, but Fred decided that they should not all serve their terms at once as that
would interfere with the crop harvest, and arranged for short prison terms during
which they where taught farming skills.

Story 2. 
On another occasion there was a very hostile mountain tribe that no one had
managed to have any peaceful contact with. So Fred put on his kilt and went into the
hills and found a spot where he played his bagpipes for a while. Now I am not sure
of the details, but I think it went something like this. He did this for several
days and noticed the tribesman watching him from behind boulders. They gradually got
closer and closer (I am not sure if this was over days or weeks) and eventually he
was able to start talking with them. I do not remember why he wanted to talk to
them. Maybe just as District Commissioner he was supposed to, or maybe to stop them
being so violent, or to help them in some way.



Note on last British Cavalry charge: 
The Times Letters to the Editor.  199?

From R D Bridgewater,March 26th 199?. "...Following the third battle of Gaza, the
Turkish withdrawal was being covered by several batteries of their artillery,
located on a commanding ridge and supported by infantry and machine guns. Three
squadrons comprising units of both the Warwickshire Yeomanry and Worcestershire
Yeomanry charged these guns and their escorts, being completely exposed over the
last 1000 yards to the fire of the enemy machine guns and rifles, and without any
covering fire of their own. Wavel wrote that: 'Eleven guns, four machine guns and
about seventy prisoners were taken, and a large number of the personnel of the
batteries- Germans and Austrians besides Turks- who all stood to their guns to the
last, were killed with the sword. The casualties of the Yeomanry were, however,
extremely high. Of twelve officers, three squadron commanders were killed and six
others wounded: of 158 men, 26 were killed and 40 wounded; of the 170 horses, 100
were killed."

From Major General J F W Friedberger March 27th. " In the final volume of the
recently completed eight volume A History of Britsih Cavalry, the Marquis of Angelsy
records the battle which took place at Gerbze, east of Constantinople, on July 13th
1920. Chanak nationalist has severed a link connecting General Ironsides forces, who
were occupying the Izmid Peninsular in the aftermath of the Versailles Peace
Conference. The 20th Hussars, part of a battle groupp with the 2/39th Royal Garwhal
Rifles, artillery and engineers, dislodged the enemy and relieved the position. Lord
Anglesey writes: There can be no shadow of doubt that the last proper charge
launched by a complete regiment of British cavalry against well-armed troops took
place in Turkey in 1920 during the Chanak crisis. An eye witness recorded: "Over the
crest of the ridge came the whole of the 20th Hussars, two squadrons abreast in
column of troops, with the third squadron in depth, nearly three hundred men in
all."