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Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet

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General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, KStJ (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was a British Army General in the First World War. He held the post of Commander-in-Chief, India in 1916–1920. From 1923 to 1928 he was the Governor of Gibraltar.

Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet
Born(1860-06-15)15 June 1860
At sea on the Maid of Judah
Died7 December 1929(1929-12-07) (aged 69)
Westminster, London, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
Years of service1878–1920
RankGeneral
UnitQueen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Commands13th Brigade
2nd London Division
2nd Division
I Corps
Third Army
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
First Army
Commander-in-Chief, India
Battles / warsSecond Boer War
First World War
Third Anglo-Afghan War
AwardsBaronet
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Other workGovernor of Gibraltar (1923–28)

Early military career

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He was the youngest son of Henry Monro and Catherine Power. Educated at Sherborne School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Monro was commissioned into the 2nd Regiment of Foot as a second lieutenant on 13 August 1879.[1][2][3] He was promoted to lieutenant on 15 May 1881 and to captain on 24 July 1889.[4][5][6]

He attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1889 to 1890[7][6] and, promoted to major on 23 February 1898,[8] he served as a brigade major until he was appointed a deputy assistant adjutant general on 15 April 1899.[9] He vacated that appointment in February 1900,[10] as he went to South Africa to serve in the Second Boer War, where he was present at the Battle of Paardeberg in 1900.[1] Promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel in 1900, he was brevetted to lieutenant-colonel on 29 November 1900.[11]

On 28 March 1903, he was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed commandant of the School of Musketry.[12][13] Promoted to colonel in 1906, the same year he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1906 Birthday Honours,[14] he was succeeded Henry Merrick Lawson as commander of the 13th Infantry Brigade in Dublin on 12 May 1907, with the temporary rank of brigadier general.[1][15]

Promoted to major general on 31 October 1910,[16] on 31 March 1912 he became general officer commanding (GOC) 2nd London Division, a formation of the recently established Territorial Force (TF), taking over from Major General Vesey John Dawson.[17][18]

First World War

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Major-General Charles Monro, with Colonel Neill Malcolm, inspecting troops of the 2nd Division on the march on the Western Front at some point in 1914.

In the early days of the First World War on 5 August 1914, Monro was deployed to France as General Officer Commanding 2nd Division, which played an important part in the First Battle of Ypres.[1][19] He led with what a subordinate described as "the gift of personal magnetism".[20] On 27 December 1914 he became General Officer Commanding I Corps, with the temporary rank of lieutenant-general.[21] He was made General Officer Commanding Third Army on 15 July 1915 with the temporary rank of general.[1][22] He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October.[23]

 
Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig (GOC I Corps) with Major-General Charles Monro, Brigadier-General John Gough (Haig's chief of staff), and Brigadier-General E. M. Perceval (commanding the 2nd Division's artillery) in a street in France, 1914.

In October 1915, the seventh month of the Gallipoli campaign, General Sir Ian Hamilton was dismissed as commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Charles Monro was sent to evaluate what had been achieved and to recommend the next steps for the campaign.[24] The Allied position had been drastically altered by the entry of Bulgaria into the war and the Central Powers' subsequent swift conquest of Serbia, which opened the railway from Germany to Constantinople for transporting heavy guns and ammunition.[25] After three days conferring and inspecting the three beachheads, Monro cabled Secretary of State for War Herbert Kitchener to recommend evacuating "the mere fringe of the coast-line" that had been secured.[26] Kitchener would not authorize a withdrawal, which was strongly opposed by the Navy, instead, he came to the Middle East to see for himself. After arriving on 9 November 1915 he and Monro toured the fronts, landing on open beaches since there were no ports. Then they visited the Allied lines in Greek Macedonia, where reinforcements were badly needed. On 17 November 1915 Kitchener agreed to evacuate and put Monro in control as Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean. The architect of the Dardanelles campaign, Winston Churchill, resigned from the government in protest. He later memorably described Monro's stance as "He came, he saw, he capitulated" (a parody of Julius Caesar's line veni, vidi, vici).[27] The War Committee dithered, finally on 7 December agreeing to evacuate two of the bridgeheads (ANZAC Cove and Suvla Bay). Their reluctance was understandable: Ottoman guns were able to strike the landing zones on all three beachheads, so evacuation casualties were estimated at thirty to forty per cent — Monro requested fifty-six hospital ships. On 19–20 December the two beachheads were evacuated without a single casualty, leaving behind only some spiked artillery and slaughtered mules. It was a masterly display by the commanders of the beachheads and their staff. After further pressure from Monro, the evacuation of the remaining beachhead at Cape Helles was authorized on 28 December with the agreement of the French who had troops there. It was skillfully executed on the night of 8–9 January 1916, again astonishingly without casualties. They had taken off 83,048 men, 4,695 horses and mules, 1,718 vehicles, and 186 heavy guns.[28]

 
Lieutenant General Monro in 1915.

In 1916 Monro commanded the British First Army in France before becoming Commander-in-Chief India later that year.[1] He was a fine choice, because his "Standard was whether a man was an Empire-builder."[29] One of his responsibilities was the campaign in Mesopotamia. On 1 August 1916 the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), General Sir William Robertson, ordered him to "keep up a good show" in Mesopotamia but not to make any further attempts to take Baghdad — this restriction was overruled on the War Committee by Curzon and Chamberlain. On his way to India Monro inspected the forces in Mesopotamia commanded by General Maude. After receiving Monro's favourable report on 18 September 1916 the War Committee authorized Maude to attack.[30] On 1 October 1916, Monro was promoted to the substantive rank of general.[31] Baghdad was taken on 11 March 1917. In off hours Monro continued to charm with his "whimsical, almost fantastic type of humour."[32]

Later life

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Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London.

In May 1921, Monro was created a Baronet, of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling.[33] In 1923 Monro was appointed Governor of Gibraltar.[1]

In 1915, he married Mary Caroline O'Hagan, youngest daughter of Thomas O'Hagan, 1st Baron O'Hagan, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and his second wife Alice Towneley: they had no children.

Mary, Lady Monro, was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.[34]

Sir Charles Monro died of cancer in December 1929.[35] He was buried at Brompton Cemetery in London.[36]

Honours

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British

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Others

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Monro, Sir Charles Carmichael, baronet (1860–1929), army officer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35068. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Barrow, Gen. Sir George (1931). The Life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro. London: Hutchinson & Co.
  3. ^ "No. 24751". The London Gazette. 12 August 1879. p. 4900.
  4. ^ "No. 25007". The London Gazette. 23 August 1881. p. 4347.
  5. ^ "No. 25970". The London Gazette. 3 September 1889. p. 4787.
  6. ^ a b Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 122.
  7. ^ "General Sir Charles Monro Bt GCB GCSI GCMG ADC 1920–1929". Archived from the original on 14 March 2004.
  8. ^ "No. 26941". The London Gazette. 22 February 1898. p. 1118.
  9. ^ "No. 27074". The London Gazette. 25 April 1899. p. 2629.
  10. ^ "No. 27164". The London Gazette. 13 February 1900. p. 1002.
  11. ^ "No. 27306". The London Gazette. 19 April 1901. p. 2705.
  12. ^ "No. 27546". The London Gazette. 24 April 1903. p. 2618.
  13. ^ "No. 27551". The London Gazette. 12 May 1903. p. 2987.
  14. ^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1906. p. 4460.
  15. ^ "No. 28024". The London Gazette. 24 May 1907. p. 3593.
  16. ^ "No. 28433". The London Gazette. 4 November 1910. p. 7908.
  17. ^ "No. 28597". The London Gazette. 9 April 1912. p. 2587.
  18. ^ "No. 28600". The London Gazette. 19 April 1912. p. 2792.
  19. ^ "No. 28921". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 September 1914. p. 7787.
  20. ^ Barrow, General Sir Charles (1931). The life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro. London: Hutchinson. p. 113.
  21. ^ "No. 29048". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 January 1915. p. 785.
  22. ^ "No. 29267". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 August 1915. p. 8247.
  23. ^ "No. 29341". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 October 1915. p. 10615.
  24. ^ Crowley, Patrick (2016). Loyal to Empire; The Life of General Sir Charles Monro, 1860–1929. Stroud: The History Press. pp. 202–222.
  25. ^ Barrow 1931, pp. 61–86.
  26. ^ Barrow 1931, p. 65.
  27. ^ Churchill, Rt. Hon. Winston S. (1949) [1923]. The World Crisis. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 532.
  28. ^ Gilbert, Martin (1994). The First World War. New York: Henry Holt. p. 213. ISBN 9780805015409.
  29. ^ Barrow 1931, p. 271
  30. ^ Woodward 1998, pp. 118–9.
  31. ^ "No. 30129". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1917. p. 5850.
  32. ^ Barrow 1931, p. 266.
  33. ^ a b "No. 32323". The London Gazette. 13 May 1921. p. 3846.
  34. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  35. ^ Beckett & Corvi 2006, pp. 123, 138.
  36. ^ "brompton.org – Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! – Informationen zum Thema brompton". brompton.org. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  37. ^ "No. 29507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 March 1916. p. 2872.
  38. ^ "No. 31097". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 81.
  39. ^ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1915. p. 1686.
  40. ^ "No. 27926". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1906. p. 4460.
  41. ^ "No. 31379". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 May 1919. p. 7046.
  42. ^ "No. 29290". The London Gazette. 10 September 1915. p. 8986.
  43. ^ "No. 31345". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 May 1919. p. 6208.

Further reading

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Military offices
Preceded by
??
 Commandant of the School of Musketry
1903–1907 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 2nd London Division
1912–1914 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC 2nd Division
August–December 1914 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC I Corps
1914–1915 		Succeeded by
New post GOC Third Army
July–September 1915 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC British Troops in Egypt
1915–1916 		Succeeded by
Preceded by GOC Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
1915–1916
Preceded by GOC First Army
January–October 1916 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, India
1916–1920 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Colonel of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1920–1929 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
B. T. L. Thomson
 Honorary Colonel of the 23rd London Regiment
1922–1928 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of Gibraltar
1923–1928 		Succeeded by
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baronet
(of Bearcrofts)
1920–1929 		Extinct
Heraldic offices
Preceded by King of Arms of the Order of the Bath
1920–1929 		Succeeded by
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