[3] He grew up on the Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Antigua, then members of the British West Indies.
[1][2] On 15 March 1924, McDonald was commissioned into the General Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a pilot officer on probation.
[4] After the war, McDonald was appointed Commandant of the RAF Staff College, Andover and then Commandant of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment before becoming Director-General of Manning in the rank of air vice marshal at the Air Ministry in 1952.
[4] In June 1955, McDonald became the fourth and last Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force.
[2] Following retirement, McDonald continued sailing, and was an active member of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club.