Ian MacAlister Stewart
Encyclopedia
Early life
Stewart was born in 1895, part of the Stewart family of AppinClan Stewart of Appin
Clan Stewart of Appin is a west highland branch of the Clan Stewart and have been considered a distinct clan since the 15th century. They are descended from Sir James Stewart of Perston, who was himself the grandson of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland...
in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
shire. Stewart was born in Surore, Poone , India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where his father, Lt.Col Alexander Kenneth Stewart, 12th of Achnacone, was a medical officer in the Poona Horse before his parents returned to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Stewart attended Cheltenham College before going to Sandhurst on a prize cadetship. He passed through Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 1913 as the top student of his year and the youngest.
First World War
He was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) in February 1914 and served throughout the First World War. During this war, he was awarded the Military Cross and BarMilitary Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, and created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
). At the end of the war, Stewart was a Temporary Captain. Ian Stewart became heir to Achnacone after his older brother, Captain Alexander D.L. Stewart MC, died in a motor cycle accident in Dublin in 1919.
As with many Army officers between the wars, Stewart was placed on Half Pay, but was restored to Full Pay as a Captain on the 3 June 1925 On the 8 September 1931, Stewart was promoted Major. Stewart's military career was dominated by his service with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
, a regiment that he was so wedded to that when he was given command of the 2nd Battalion
2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were formed in 1881 when the 91st Regiment of Foot was amalgamated with the 93rd Regiment of Foot to form the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.-Early history:...
in the 1930s some of his brother officers did not even realise that he was married with a daughter. Stewart had married Ursula Morely-Fletcher in 1937 when he was 42 years old. He even refused a position at the staff college at
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
to remain with his battalion thereby losing the only way to senior command.
Second World War
At the outbreak of the Second World War Stewart was very happily still in command of the 2nd Battalion. Stewart was one of the few British officers to realise the need for training in Jungle warfare that would be necessary in order to defeat the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese in a war in Malaya. Due to this obsession with jungle training Stewart earned himself a reputation as a crank amongst the more traditional minded officers of Malaya Command
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
. In early 1941 after his battalion had been transferred from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Malaya, Stewart began rigorously training his men and developing new tactics to fight in all of the extreme and hostile natural terrain of Malaya. When the 2nd Argylls were thrown into the battle in early December 1941 they were to prove one of the few effective units the Japanese would face in their rapid advance down the peninsular, inflicting heavy casualties in every engagement. Sadly their effectiveness meant that they were continuously used as the buffer and suffered massive casualties as a result.
Stewart was temporarily given command of the Indian 12th Infantry Brigade
Indian 12th Infantry Brigade
The 12th Indian Infantry Brigade was part of the Singapore Fortress garrison during the Second World War.- History :The 12th Indian Brigade was one of the regular units based in Malaya before the Japanese invasion in December 1942...
after Brig.Paris
Archibald Paris
Brigadier Archibald Charles Melvill Paris DSO MC was a British Army officer.He was the son of Major-General Archibald Paris, KCB a Royal Marine officer who commanded the 63rd Division during the First World War, and of Lady Paris...
took over the Indian 11th Infantry Division in late December 1941. He was in command of this brigade during the disastrous Battle of Slim River
Battle of Slim River
The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Army and the British Indian Army on the west coast of Malaya.-Background:...
which was where the Argylls suffered their worst casualties. When the Battle of Malaya
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
finally ended and the surviving Allied soldiers retreated across the causeway onto Singapore Island, Stewart and his batman, Drummer Hardy, were the last to cross.
Plymouth Argylls
Stewart was soon returned to his beloved Argylls in Singapore after they had been decimated in the fighting on the mainland. The 250 surviving Argylls were reformed with 210 Royal MarinesRoyal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, survivors from the H.M.S. Prince of Wales and the H.M.S. Repulse
HMS Repulse (1916)
HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
, becoming known as the Plymouth Argylls. Stewart had six days to train the new composite battalion before it was put into action on Singapore Island itself. The Plymouth Argylls suffered heavy casualties during the brief Battle of Singapore
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
. Stewart was evacuated unwillingly from Singapore before its surrender due to the need for experienced officers and men who had proven ability to fight the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Army successfully, an ability rare in the British Army at this time. By the time of the surrender on 15 February the Plymouth Argylls were reduced to 40 officers and men.
What was left of the Plymouth Argyll Battalion, under the command of three captains, were marched into captivity behind their piper. According to some witnesses hundreds of other British Empire soldiers stood to attention as they marched past. Only 52 Argylls managed to escape before Singapore surrendered and make it to Ceylon. Many others were killed or captured when the ships they were escaping on were sunk by Japanese surface and air attack, like Major Angus MacDonald (pictured with Stewart and Sgt.Maj.Munnoch) who died on The Rooseboom.
Later commands
On the 23 January 1942, Stewart was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.)Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for his services in the South West Pacific area He was initially employed as a General Staff Officer Grade 1 in India lecturing on his experiences in Malaya. The need for officers, with jungle warfare experience who had actually fought the Japanese, and seen their tactics was in high demand by the army command in India. Of all the officers to have escaped from Singapore, Stewart, was probably the most experienced. He became the Chief Instructor at the School of Infantry as a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and later Brigadier General Staff (Training) with 11th Army Group in India. Field Marshal Wavell wrote:
Stewart's report, written after his arrival in India, and his knowledge along with the knowledge of the other officers and men who escaped from Singapore, had a direct effect on the training and tactics that would be used by the British and Commonwealth Armies in fighting the Japanese throughout the rest of the war.
Stewart returned to the United Kingdom in early 1945, being given command of the 144 Infantry Brigade on the 19 March 1945. He spent a period of time as the District Commander for Stirling, the home of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Retirement
Stewart retired from the army on 13 April 1947 at the age of 52, a short time after the death of his father. Stewart was a substantive Colonel on retirement but was awarded the Honorary rank of BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
. Stewart wrote the book 'The Thin Red Line, 2nd Argylls in Malaya' (Thomas Nelson, 1947) which was reprinted by the Argyll and Sutherland Regimental Museum. Brigadier Stewart became well known in the Scottish farming community even becoming President of the National Farmers Union of Scotland
National Farmers Union of Scotland
The National Farmers Union of Scotland is an organisation that promotes and protects the interests of the farming industry in Scotland. It was formed in 1913, and has approximately 10,000 members who are farmers, crofters, and others involved in Scottish agriculture.The current President is Jim...
. He died on 14 March 1987 at the age of 91. His funeral was well attended; with Major Eric Moss as the piper (Moss was Pipe Major
Pipe Major
The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term Sergeant Piper was used for the role in place of "Pipe Major".Civillian and military...
of Stewart's 2nd Argylls in Malaya) and the address was given by Lord Maclean of Duart.