Major General Sir Peter Henry Scratchley KCMG (24 August 1835 – 2 December 1885) was special commissioner for Great Britain in New Guinea 1884–1885 and defence adviser for Australia.

Scratchley had, however, constructed batteries around the coast of Port Phillip by expending a comparatively small sum.

[1][2] Following the withdrawal in 1870 of British garrison troops from Australia, Major General Sir William Jervois and then Lieutenant Colonel Scratchley were commissioned by a group of colonies to advise on defence matters.

Not surprisingly given their engineering backgrounds and the fear in the colonies of potential enemy fleets, the reports emphasised fortifications against naval attack.

Scratchley soon contracted malaria and died at sea on aboard the Governor Blackall on 2 December 1885.