Army Council (1904) practice, however, a huge amount of influence was retained by the exceedingly conservative C-in-C Field Marshal Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, who held the post between 1856–1895. His resistance to reform caused military efficiency to lag well behind Britain's rivals, a problem which became painfully obvious during the Second Boer War. The situation was only remedied in 1904 when the post of Commander-in-Chief was abolished and replaced with that of the Chief of the General Staff. An Army Council was created along similar lines to the Board of Admiralty, chaired by the Secretary of State for War, and an
John McNeill (British Army officer) "the Battle of McNeill's Zeriba". [Note: in 19th century records, McNeill name is sometimes spelled M'Neill.] McNeill later achieved the rank of major general, and in retirement became an equerry to Queen Victoria. John McNeill (British Army officer) Major General Sir John Carstairs McNeill, (28 March 1831 – 25 May 1904) was a senior British Army officer and Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the son of Anne Elizabeth McNeill née Carstairs, and Alexander McNeill (1791–1850), brother of