Sir Charles Monro | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1860-06-15)15 June 1860 At sea on theMaid of Judah |
| Died | 7 December 1929(1929-12-07) (aged 69) Westminster, London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1878–1920 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) |
| Commands | 13th Brigade 2nd London Division 2nd Division I Corps Third Army Mediterranean Expeditionary Force First Army Commander-in-Chief, India |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War Third Anglo-Afghan War |
| Awards | Baronet 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 work | Governor of Gibraltar (1923–1928) |
GeneralSir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was aBritish Army General in theFirst World War. He held the post ofCommander-in-Chief, India, in 1916–1920. From 1923 to 1928 he was theGovernor of Gibraltar.
He was the youngest son of Henry Monro and Catherine Power. Educated atSherborne School and theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst, Monro wascommissioned into the2nd Regiment of Foot as asecond lieutenant on 13 August 1879.[1][2][3] He was promoted tolieutenant on 15 May 1881 and tocaptain on 24 July 1889.[4][5][6]
He attended theStaff College, Camberley, from 1889 to 1890,[7][6] and promoted tomajor on 23 February 1898,[8] he served as abrigade major until he was appointed adeputy assistant adjutant general on 15 April 1899.[9] He vacated that appointment in February 1900,[10] as he went toSouth Africa to serve in theSecond Boer War, where he was present at theBattle of Paardeberg in 1900.[1] Promoted to temporarylieutenant-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 theSchool of Musketry.[12][13] Promoted to colonel in 1906, the same year he was made aCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the1906 Birthday Honours,[14] he was succeededHenry Merrick Lawson ascommander of the13th Infantry Brigade inDublin on 12 May 1907, with the temporary rank ofbrigadier general.[1][15]
Promoted tomajor general on 31 October 1910,[16] on 31 March 1912 he becamegeneral officer commanding (GOC)2nd London Division, a formation of the recently establishedTerritorial Force (TF), taking over from Major GeneralVesey John Dawson.[17][18]
In the early days of theFirst World War on 5 August 1914, Monro was deployed to France as General Officer Commanding2nd Division, which played an important part in theFirst 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 CommandingI Corps, with the temporary rank oflieutenant-general.[21]
In February 1915 he was made aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), "in connection with Operations in the Field".[22] He was made General Officer CommandingThird Army on 15 July 1915 with the temporary rank of general.[1][23] He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October.[24]
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In October 1915, the seventh month of theGallipoli campaign, GeneralSir Ian Hamilton was dismissed ascommander-in-chief (C-in-C) of theMediterranean Expeditionary Force. Charles Monro was sent to evaluate what had been achieved and to recommend the next steps for the campaign.[25] The Allied position had been drastically altered by the entry ofBulgaria 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.[26] After three days conferring and inspecting the three beachheads, Monro cabled Secretary of State for WarHerbert Kitchener to recommend evacuating "the mere fringe of the coast-line" that had been secured.[27] 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 GreekMacedonia, 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 ofJulius Caesar's lineveni, vidi, vici).[28] The War Committee dithered, finally on 7 December agreeing to evacuate two of the bridgeheads (ANZAC Cove andSuvla 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 atCape 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.[29]
In 1916 Monro commanded theBritish First Army in France before becomingCommander-in-Chief India later that year.[1] He was a fine choice, because his "Standard was whether a man was an Empire-builder."[30] One of his responsibilities was thecampaign in Mesopotamia. On 1 August 1916 theChief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), GeneralSir William Robertson, ordered him to "keep up a good show" in Mesopotamia but not to make any further attempts to takeBaghdad – this restriction was overruled on the War Committee byCurzon andChamberlain. On his way to India Monro inspected the forces in Mesopotamia commanded by GeneralMaude. After receiving Monro's favourable report on 18 September 1916 the War Committee authorized Maude to attack.[31] On 1 October 1916, Monro was promoted to the substantive rank of general.[32] Baghdad was taken on 11 March 1917. In off hours Monro continued to charm with his "whimsical, almost fantastic type of humour."[33]
In October 1920 he was appointed colonel of the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment.[34] In May 1921, Monro was created a Baronet, of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling.[35] In September 1923 Monro was appointedgovernor of Gibraltar.[1][36]
In 1915, he married Mary Caroline O'Hagan, youngest daughter ofThomas 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 aDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.[37]
Sir Charles Monro died of cancer in December 1929.[38] He was buried atBrompton Cemetery in London.[citation needed]
| 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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