Chamois Leather Vest : Major General F Downes CMG

Chamois leather undershirt to be worn under full dress. The double-breasted undershirt is fastened along the front with six pairs of buttons: mother-of -pearl on the left, and linen-covered on the right side. A protective piece of lighter-coloured chamois joins to the right front panel and sits under the front closure, possibly as a means of enlarging the shirt. The two-piece set-in sleeves are long, with a single button at the cuff. A jewel neckline is edged with white linen tape, whereas the cuffs and hem are edged with white silk. The rear is made of two pieces. There is no lining. Printed with indelible purple pencil on the inside right panel is 'M. F. DOWNES /CRIMEA 1854-5 / R.M. DOWNES/ GALLIPPOLI [sic] 1915 LIEUT. COLONEL 3RD L.H.F.A./ RETURN TO GENERAL DOWNES MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA

Francis Downes was born on 10 February 1834 at Dedham, Essex, England and after studying at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1848, was appointed as a second lieutenant to the Royal Artillery in December 1852. He quickly rose to lieutenant in 1854 while on duty in Canada. He served in the Crimean war in 1854-56, and in 1858, married Helen Maria Chamberlain. Downes was promoted to captain in 1859, then major in July 1872, while he was an instructor at the School of Gunnery in England.

In 1877 he accepted an appointment as commandant of the military forces of South Australia for five years. After promotion to lieutenant-colonel he arrived in Adelaide. After working on royal commissions and becoming a local and temporary colonel in the British Army, Downes was placed on the retired list in 1884 with the honorary rank of major-general.

In 1885 he resigned command of the South Australian forces and became the first permanent head of the Victorian Department of Defence and in May was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (C.M.G). In 1890-91 Downes served on an intercolonial committee of military commandants who inspected areas suitable for fixed defences at a number of places such as King George Sound (Tasmania), Thursday Island and Port Darwin. After a riding accident in November 1891, he resigned his command in 1893 and retired to live in Victoria.
At the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, he was invited to take the position of Military Commandant in Victoria. In this role he organized and equipped five contingents for active service in South Africa. Finally, in March 1902 Downes was placed again on the retired list of the Australian Military Forces with the rank of major-general. He continued to live in Melbourne until he died on 15 October 1923 at his daughter's home in Middle Brighton. Downes was buried with military honours in the Church of England portion of the Brighton cemetery. He had five children: one daughter and four sons. One of his sons, Rupert (1885-1945) became major-general then director-general of medical services of the Australian Military Forces.