Major-General Sir John Charles Ardagh, KCIE, CB, RE

Director of Military Intelligence during the Second Boer War, from 1899. Born in 1840, he entered the Royal Engineers in 1859. Having passed through the Staff College he was appointed in 1876, Deputy Assistant Quarter-Master-General of the Intelligence Branch. Until the end of 1881, was employed either at HQ or on special service in Turkey. When not campaigning, Sir John was usually found either in Pall Mall, or, at the School of Military Engineering at Chatham. Later he spent a pleasant five years as Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India.

Service biography

Joined Royal Engineers 1859; Conference of Constantinople 1876; Congress of Berlin 1878; Bulgarian Boundary Commission 1878-1879; Conference of Berlin 1880; Conference of Constantinople 1881; Commissionner for delimitation of Turco-Greek Frontier 1881; Special Service, Egypt 1882; Commander Royal Engineers and Head of Intelligence Department, Sudan expedition 1884; Commandant, Nile expedition 1885; Senior Staff Officer, Nile expedition 1886; Assistant Adjutant General, Defence and Mobilisation, Horse Guards 1887; private secretary to Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Governor General of India 1888-1894; private secretary to Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, Viceroy of India, 1894; Commandant, School of Military Engineering, Chatham 1894-1896; Director of Military Intelligence, War Office 1896-1901; British Delegate to Peace Conference, The Hague, Holland, 1899; member of the Arbitration Tribunal between Argentina and Chile 1900; His Majesty's Government Agent, South Africa Claims Commission 1901; member of Judicial Commission on Revision of Martial Law Sentences 1902; member of Permanant International Court of Arbitration, The Hague 1903; Government Director, Suez Canal Company 1903,