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Ian McDonald (civil servant)

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Ian McDonald
Chief Public Relations Officer (MoD)
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Succeeded byNeville Taylor[1]
Personal details
Born(1936-03-29)29 March 1936
Langside, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Died28 March 2019(2019-03-28) (aged 82)
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
OccupationCivil servant

Ian McDonald (29 March 1936 – 28 March 2019) was a civil servant in the UK's Ministry of Defence and was the Ministry's spokesman during the Falklands War.[2][3]

Life and career

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Grave of Ian McDonald in Highgate Cemetery

McDonald was born on 29 March 1936, in Langside, Glasgow.[3] With his brother, he attended Glasgow High School.[3] He went on to study law at University of Glasgow and began postgraduate studies in Greek and Italian at the same university.[4] Soon thereafter McDonald was conscripted into the army as a translator in Cyprus,[2] however he had studied ancient Greek rather than the modern Greek which was required for his posting. McDonald was discharged from the army and joined a law firm in Glasgow.[2] He later moved to Karachi, Pakistan, to work as a teacher for a year.[4]

Upon his return to the UK, McDonald was appointed to a junior position in the Ministry of Defence.[4] He was promoted through the ranks until spring 1982, during the Falklands War, when he came into prominence as the spokesman for the ministry. Speaking at dictation speed in a monotone voice that British viewers found authentic and reassuring, McDonald gave regular briefings on the events of the war using a teacher's pointer and maps of the islands.[2][4]

As the British forces recaptured the islands, "McDonald became renowned for his restrained, and at times emotionless, style of delivery."[5] However, he frustrated reporters with his mysterious answers to questions, often quoting William Shakespeare in lieu of a response. In one instance he said "Hamlet, Act One, Scene Two, Line 215" which reads "But answer made it none". On Channel 4's documentary When Britain Went To War (2002),[3] McDonald revealed that he became the subject of amorous attention from TV viewers, including a woman who stalked him for two years and sent him emotive letters.[4]

In 1986, McDonald was made head of the Defence Exports Services Secretariat. He was in charge of the department during the Arms-to-Iraq affair and his name was included in the 1996 Scott Report, in which Richard Scott criticised McDonald for his "inattention … consistent with his general approach to line management".[3][6][7]

McDonald, who never married nor had children, spent his later years at a villa in Umbria, Italy.[3]

He died of pneumonia on 28 March 2019, the day before he would have turned 83 years old.[2]

His ashes are buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery. The headstone incorrectly states the year of his death as 2020.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Philo, Greg (2014), "The Falklands War", The Glasgow Media Group Reader, vol. II: Industry, Economy, War and Politics, Routledge, p. 83, ISBN 978-1-136-16700-3
  2. ^ a b c d e "Ian McDonald obituary". The Times. 9 April 2019. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Ian McDonald, lugubrious MoD press spokesman during the Falklands war who became an unlikely television star and pin-up – obituary". The Telegraph. 9 April 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Harrison, Jody (9 April 2019). "Ian McDonald: The 'dull' voice of the Falklands War dies at 82". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  5. ^ "'Voice Of Falklands War' Ian McDonald Remembered". Forces Network. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  6. ^ Blackhurst, Chris (1 March 1996). "Whitehall fears Scott 'witch hunt'". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  7. ^ Sheridan, Michael (16 February 1996). "Foreign Office excellence threatened by criticism". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. ^ "The Herald, Obituary: Ian McDonald". Retrieved 27 October 2021.