(25 July 1889-3 Dec. 1951), soldier. (Major-General MacDonald, Donald D. R. MacDonald, D. J. McDonald, Donald J. McDonald) Born at Williamstown, GC. Parents: Donald R. Mcdonald, who was later MLA for GC, and his first wife, Catherine McDonell. After high school at first Williamstown and then Alexandria, he attended the Royal Military College, Kingston, where he graduated 1909. For a few years afterwards, he managed his father’s landholdings and farming operations at Netherhill in southwest Saskatchewan. Also while at Netherhill he belonged to the first council there of the Rural Municipality of Hillsburgh.

     Before WWI, he was connected with the 29th Light Horse at Saskatoon. When the war began, he belonged at first to the Canadian Mounted Rifles, Winnipeg, then was soon posted to the Lord Strathcona’s Horse of Calgary, a regiment in which he established his distinguished record in the war. Serving in the field throughout the war, he was wounded twice and mentioned three times in dispatches. He received the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. The Military Cross was awarded directly by the King in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. (Glengarry News 1 Oct. 1915) MacDonald was advanced to command of his regiment on 30 Nov. 1917, with the rank of lt.-col. After the war he commanded Lord Strathcona’s Horse at Calgary, then held army appointments in Regina, Calgary, Ottawa, Victoria. B. C., London, Ont., and Toronto. At the end of his period of military service, he was inspector general, central Canada, based in Toronto. His retirement from service was announced 7 Nov. 1945 as to take place shortly. By this time, he is said to have been in poor health. At the time of retirement, his rank was major general. In the King’s birthday honours list of June 1944 he was made a commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was awarded, in 1945 by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (who was a war-time exile in Canada), the decoration of commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau. (GN 2 March 1945)

     He was married, first, on 20 Jan. 1920 to Marguerite Macdonald (29 Sept. 1895-3 Dec. 1920), daughter of Col. A. G. F. Macdonald of the “Sandfield Macdonalds,” of Alexandria. She died in Calgary within a year of the marriage from complications following the birth of their daughter on 14 Nov. 1920. The daughter, Catherine Eugenie, (d. 9 March 2002, married to Major Harry Powell) spent her first four years at Garry Fen, A. G. F. Macdonald’s home in Alexandria. Donald John MacDonald was married, secondly, in 1924 to Eleanor Woods, of Calgary, daughter of James Hossack Woods, editor of the Calgary Daily Herald and in 1935 head of the Canadian delegation to the League of Nations. The statement sometimes found that Woods was a senator is, however, mistaken. Two daughters were born to this marriage. One of them, Mrs Joan Smith, was solicitor general in Premier David Peterson’s Ontario cabinet.

     General MacDonald died at London, Ont., 31 years to the day after the death of his first wife. He is buried in London, Ont. He was a Roman Catholic.

Glengarry News 7 & 21 Dec. 1951 * Memoirs of Hillsburgh R. M. No. 289 (1961?): history of Netherhill area, various refs., portrait, map of settlers’ landholdings * Macdonald, Sandfields, with portrait * information from Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) * biog. sketch by Archibald MacDonell, from notebooks of Florence McDonell, Glengarry Life No. 35 (1996), with portrait * biog. sketch in announcement of his retirement, distributed by Dept. of National Defence (1 sheet, 7 Nov. 1945, P. N. 950-45), from his biog. file Directorate of History, Ottawa * obituary of daughter, Mrs Powell, GN 13 March 2002 * J. H. Woods: life in MDict * MacDonald leaves for Netherhill after visit to parents in GC, GN 11 March 1911 * praised by Donald (later Sir Donald) MacMaster and Archibald (later Sir Archibald) Cameron Macdonell, Cornwall Standard 1 July 1915 * reported wounded; returns to GC, wounded, to recover, then returns to war, GN 28 May, 25 June & 13 Aug. 1915 * visits to Alexandria, Ont., GN 21 Oct. 1921, 16 March 1923, 2 Jan. 1942, &c. * to retire, GN 9 Nov. 1945