Mackensen. Over a century after his death it is widely asserted by his many modern supporters that the crofter's son was the victim of a conspiracy by the British Establishment, motivated by jealousy and snobbery, with the allegations of homosexuality a fabrication. Yet MacDonald's sexuality had been a concern to his superiors even before Ceylon. In 1900 Roberts and Kitchener had discussed rumours of an involvement between Sir Hector and a Boer prisoner in South Africa, and two years later Kitchener mentioned his uneasiness over the General's behaviour while posted in India. It is possible that attitudes within the British Army hierarchy were influenced by his status as an outsider, the son of a Scottish crofter. There were comparable rumours about other commanders, including "Chinese" Gordon and Field Marshals Montgomery and Auchinleck, but they were protected by the loyalty of their staff; only MacDonald was required to face a court martial. A clergyman at the time commented: "Had he been the son of a duke, an easier way of escape could have been made for him." Cultural references MacDonald is often said to have been the model for the soldier who appeared on the label for Camp Coffee. Along with the occultist Aleister Crowley, MacDonald is one of the central characters of the novel The Devil's Paintbrush by Jake Arnott. Arnott's novel uses a historical meeting between Crowley and MacDonald in Paris "as a springboard for a fictional tale that entwines the two figures closely together and charts the final days of MacDonald's life." Hector MacDonald Laws Waller, captain of HMAS Perth, was named after him. Scottish fiddler J Scott Skinner, composed a lament as a tribute to MacDonald, entitled Hector the Hero. Lyrics by Thomas McWilliamin were set to the air. Notes References Royle, Trevor Fighting Mac : the downfall of Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald (Edinburgh : Mainstream, 2003) Macleod, Kenneth I E The Ranker : the story of Sir Hector Macdonald's death (Cortland : The author, 1976) Clive, William Fighting Mac : the climb to disaster of Sir Hector Macdonald, KCB, DSO, 1853–1903 (London : Macmillan, 1977) Gury, Christian L'honneur professionnel d'un bourreau homosexuel en 1847 ; suivi de L'honneur suicide d'un general homosexuel en 1903 ; et de L'honneur assassine d'un homosexuel ordinaire en 1909 (Paris : Editions Kimé, 1999) External links So Great a Crime. A play by David Gooderson which tells the true story of