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Major John Sholto Douglas, a regular officer from the well-known
Scottish Douglas of Tilquhillie family, played a significant role as the Commandant of the
Middle East Command Camouflage Directorate during World War II.
Born in 1904, John Sholto Douglas was a professional soldier, a Major in
the Royal Scots.
He was appointed Commandant at the
School of Camouflage within the Middle East Command Camouflage
Directorate where his leadership and expertise were crucial in
organizing major deception operations for the Middle East Command during
the Western Desert Campaign.
The Middle East Command Camouflage
Directorate, also known as the Camouflage Unit, orchestrated several
successful deception operations:
- Siege of Tobruk: Provided
camouflage during the siege of Tobruk.
- Dummy Railhead: Created a
dummy railhead at Misheifa.
- Operation Bertram: Executed the largest
army-scale deception for the decisive battle of El Alamein in October
1942.
These operations diverted enemy attention, conserved vital
resources, and misled the enemy regarding allied strength and
intentions. Winston Churchill publicly praised the effectiveness of
these deceptions.
The unit was led by Geoffrey Barkas, a film
director, who assembled a team of professional artists as camouflage
officers or 'camoufleurs'. John Sholto Douglas worked alongside the
renowned British zoologist Hugh Cott, who served as the chief
instructor.
Operation Bertram, which Douglas contributed to, may
have been the last large-scale physical deception ever conducted by an
army. Subsequent major deceptions incorporated electronic measures.
Douglas's role in military camouflage remains a testament to the art
of deception during wartime.
Research
notes:
• In newspaper "Kurjer Poznanski" from 22-04-1939, I found
information that Captain John Sholto Douglas was visiting city of
Poznan. His host was polish general Wolikowski. First two days J.S
Douglas spend in Hotel Bazar, then he moved to private villa that
belonged to Dietl family. Members of Dietl family told me that Mr.
Douglas came to them wearing a kilt so my guess is that he was attached
to some Schottisch regiment. He also was sportsman because he came with
his tennis racquet and cricket (bat). He left just one week before the war
outbreak. Later he was send to Egypt. Do you have any details or
information about this gentleman? I guess that he was around 40 years
old in 1939. Newspaper informs that Captain Douglas came from "town
named Kingdom" but it was probably a mistake of reporter (it was just
United Kingdom in my opinion). He travelled with his colleague Capt.
Richard Moncrieff Wright (see below) from Lahore in India(1).
• Maj. John Sholto DOUGLAS (39267) (late R.S.) to be 2nd Lt.,
25th Jan. 1952 TERRITORIAL ARMY
• J. Sholto Douglas Major,
Royal Scots Guards: Commandant, School of Camouflage; A Professional
soldier; running the school The British Middle East Command Camouflage
Directorate (known simply as Camouflage) was led by filmmaker Geoffrey
Barkas, with a team of camouflage officers or "camoufleurs" who were
all, apparently, artists. The team included the artist Steven Sykes, the
first Camouflage GSO2 in the British army.
• Sholto
Douglas's father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been
soldiers. **UNVERIFIED**
• 1st Battalion The Royal Scots -
In 1930 they moved to Quetta, then Lahore in 1934, and finally Hong Kong
in January 1938.
• 13 Aug 1943
DECORATIONS CONFERRED BY
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND.
Polish Military Cross.
Major Charles Anthony Howell Bruce Blake (52575), The Royal Ulster
Rifles.
Major John Sholto Douglas (39267), The Royal
Scots (The
Royal Regiment).
'Major Alan Charles Maxwell (132915), Royal
Artillery.
Major George Alexander Potter (90308), The Buffs
(Royal East Kent Regiment).
Captain (temporary Major) Adrian John
Reginald Holt (36682), The South Staffordshire Regiment.
Captain
(temporary Major) Thomas Miller Kirkwood (67607), Royal Armoured
Corps.
Captain (temporary Major) Richard England
Liddiard
(134442), Royal Corps of Signals.
Captain (temporary Major) Norman Waddleton,
M.A. (92607), Royal Corps of Signals.
Captain John
Harrison London (117159), The Highland Light Infantry (City of
Glasgow Regiment).
Lieutenant (temporary Captain) Henry Boleslaw
Grynkiewiez (201219), General List.
•
Captain Richard
Moncrieff Wright would appear to have been in the SOE (Special
Operations Executive).
• Richard John Moncrieff WRIGHT -
born 06.11.1913, died 23.12.1944 1939 Jan 01 - 1946 Dec 31 records
Held by: The National Archives, Kew -
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10737272
Major;
Service No: 56743; Date of Death: 23/12/1944; Age: 31; Regiment/Service:
Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C.
Son of John Moncrieff WRIGHT and Leonore
Ada WRIGHT (nee Macdonald) of Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand
• Major. Richard John Moncrieff Wright 56743 RTR. Killed 23rd
December 1944. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 1.K.14. Son of John
Moncrieff Wright and of Leonore Ada Wright (nee Beddall), of Carshalton
Beeches, Surrey, England. He had been onboard No.148 Squadron Halifax II
JP286 Special Operations Halifax. It is thought most probable that JP286
was shot down by Luftwaffe pilot Hauptman Leopold Fellerer of
StabIII/NJG6 at 01.50 hrs. 10km NE of Kaposvar on the 4th July 1944 at
1700 Metres The aircraft crashed and exploded - 8 bodies were recovered
from the aircraft which meant the "agents" had been dropped to carry out
their task.
http://aircrewremembered.com/bird-surray.html (3)
• Major J. S.
Douglas, of the Royal Scots, who is attached to a Polish Brigade,
and who before the outbreak of war was with the British
Military Mission in Poland. The Brightonian; Old Boy News; October 1942
• John Sholto
Douglas 15th of Tilquhillie b 18 Nov 1838 d Sep 1874
m. 24 Feb 1864 Vanda v Poellnitz
Children:
1. John William Edward James
Douglas 16th of Tilquhillie JP b 16 Feb
1865 educ Uppingham. Of
Ladyhill, Bieldside Co Aberdeen
m. 17 Nov 1901 Olga Edith dau of
August Julius 2nd baron de Reuter
1.1 John Sholto Douglas
17th of Tilquhillie "which his father
propelled to him in 1925" b 1
Mar 1904 Educ Wadham College Oxford. Lt
Royal Scots (1926).
(2)
1.2
Madeleine Clemence Ogilvie Douglas b 21 Mar 1907
1.3 Phoebe Mary
Douglas b 28 Mar 1917
2. Robert Ernest Douglas b 11 May 1867 d 5 Dec
1867
3. George Norman Douglas b 8 Dec 1868 Educ Uppingham 3rd Sec in
Diplomatic Service
m. 1898 Elsa dau of Augustus FitzGibbon of
Mount Shannon Co Limerick,
"and had issue"
4. Mary Douglas b 21
Jan 1871 d 3 Jun 1903
m. 1894 E P Fairbairn of Ystrad House,
Knighton, Radnorshire, "leaving
issue" [details in Burke's Peerage
under Fairbairn Bt]
Notes:
1. I leave
it to the reader to interpret the mis-spellings and omitted
word(s)
2. The engagement is announced,
and the marriage will shortly take place, between Major John Sholto
Douglas, The Royal Scots, only son of Mr. J. W. E. J. Douglas, of
Tilquhillie, and the late Mrs. Douglas {nee de Reuter), and Elsa
Valerie, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. Heubach, of 62 Thrale Road,
London, S.W.16. The Brightonian; October 1942
3. T/O Brindisi on Operation
SAVANNA101/DEERHURST. The
mission are believed to entail a leaflet
drop over Yugoslavia, insert military
liaison officers into Hungary
(DEERHURST) and a supply drop in
Poland (SAVANNA101)
A/c shot down between 1.00 and
2.00am over Kaposvar by night fighter
flown by Hauptman Fellerer
Crash site at Nyirespuszta near the
village of Mezocsokonya NE of
Kaposvar, Hungary.
The four special agent’s task was to
make contact with the Hungarian
resistance because Lt Col E.P.E.
Broughhay was eager to give some
help for Hungary trying to leave the
Axis. Unfortunately however there
were not any resistance groups in
Hungary at the time, so their mission
was doomed from the beginning. All
the liaison officers were captured on
the same day that they landed
See also:
•
Douglas of Tilquhillie
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