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][17] He led with what a subordinate described as "the gift of personal magnetism".[18] On 27 December 1914 he became General Officer Commanding I Corps, with the temporary rank of lieutenant-general.[19] He was made General Officer Commanding Third Army on 15 July 1915 with the temporary rank of general.[1][20] He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October.[21]
In October 1915, the seventh month of the Gallipoli Campaign, General Ian Hamilton was dismissed as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Charles Monro was sent to evaluate what had been achieved and to recommend the next steps for the campaign.[22] The Allied position had been drastically altered by the entry of Bulgaria into the war and the Central Power's subsequent swift conquest of Serbia, which opened the railway from Germany to Istanbul for transporting heavy guns and ammunition.[23] 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.[24] 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, memorably describing Monro as "He came, he saw, he capitulated"[25] The War Committee dithered, finally on 7 December agreeing to evacuate two of the bridgeheads. 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.[26]
In 1916 Monro briefly commanded the British Third 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."[27] One of his responsibilities was the campaign in Mesopotamia. On 1 August 1916 British Chief of Staff 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.[28] On 1 October 1916, Monro was promoted to the substantive rank of general.[29] Baghdad was taken on 11 March 1917. In off hours Monro continued to charm with his "whimsical, almost fantastic type of humour."[30]
^ abcdefg"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.)
^Barrow, Gen. Sir George (1931). The Life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro. London: Hutchinson & Co.
^ ab"No. 32323". The London Gazette. 13 May 1921. p. 3846.
^"brompton.org - Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! - Informationen zum Thema brompton". www.brompton.org.
^"No. 29507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 March 1916. p. 2872.
^"No. 31097". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 81.
^"No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1915. p. 1686.
^"No. 27926". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1906. p. 4460.
^"No. 31379". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 May 1919. p. 7046.
^"No. 29290". The London Gazette. 10 September 1915. p. 8986.
^"No. 31345". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 May 1919. p. 6208.
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sir Charles Monro.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Charles Monro.
Beckett, Ian F. W.; Corvi, Steven J. (2006). Haig's Generals. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN978-1-84415-169-1.
Crowley, Patrick. "Loyal to Empire: The Life of General Sir Charles Monro, 1860–1929", Stroud, United Kingdom: The History Press, 2016, ISBN9780750965996
Woodward, David R. "Field Marshal Sir William Robertson", Westport Connecticut & London: Praeger, 1998, ISBN0-275-95422-6
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Monro, Sir Charles Carmichael" . Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
charles, monro, baronet, general, charles, carmichael, monro, baronet, gcsi, gcmg, kstj, june, 1860, december, 1929, british, army, general, first, world, held, post, commander, chief, india, 1916, 1920, from, 1923, 1929, governor, gibraltar, charles, monro, b. 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 1929 he was the Governor of Gibraltar Sir Charles Monro BtBorn 1860 06 15 15 June 1860At sea on the Maid of JudahDied7 December 1929 1929 12 07 aged 69 Westminster London England United KingdomAllegianceUnited Kingdom British EmpireService wbr branchBritish ArmyYears of service1878 1920RankGeneralUnitQueen s Royal Regiment West Surrey Commands held13th Brigade2nd London Division2nd DivisionI CorpsThird ArmyMediterranean Expeditionary ForceFirst ArmyCommander in Chief IndiaBattles warsSecond Boer WarFirst World WarThird Anglo Afghan WarAwardsBaronetKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the BathKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeKnight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of IndiaOther workGovernor of Gibraltar Contents 1 Early military career 2 First World War 3 Later life 4 Honours 4 1 British 4 2 Others 5 References 6 Further readingEarly military career EditHe 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 he was appointed Commander of 13th Infantry Brigade in Dublin on 12 May 1907 with the temporary rank of brigadier general 1 14 Promoted to major general on 31 October 1910 on 31 March 1912 he became General Officer Commanding GOC 2nd London Division 15 16 First World War Edit 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 17 He led with what a subordinate described as the gift of personal magnetism 18 On 27 December 1914 he became General Officer Commanding I Corps with the temporary rank of lieutenant general 19 He was made General Officer Commanding Third Army on 15 July 1915 with the temporary rank of general 1 20 He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant general on 28 October 21 In October 1915 the seventh month of the Gallipoli Campaign General Ian Hamilton was dismissed as Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force Charles Monro was sent to evaluate what had been achieved and to recommend the next steps for the campaign 22 The Allied position had been drastically altered by the entry of Bulgaria into the war and the Central Power s subsequent swift conquest of Serbia which opened the railway from Germany to Istanbul for transporting heavy guns and ammunition 23 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 24 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 memorably describing Monro as He came he saw he capitulated 25 The War Committee dithered finally on 7 December agreeing to evacuate two of the bridgeheads 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 26 In 1916 Monro briefly commanded the British Third 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 27 One of his responsibilities was the campaign in Mesopotamia On 1 August 1916 British Chief of Staff 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 28 On 1 October 1916 Monro was promoted to the substantive rank of general 29 Baghdad was taken on 11 March 1917 In off hours Monro continued to charm with his whimsical almost fantastic type of humour 30 Later life Edit Funerary monument Brompton Cemetery London In May 1921 Monro was created a Baronet of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling 31 In 1923 Monro was appointed Governor of Gibraltar 1 In 1915 he married Mary 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 Monro died in 1929 his body being buried at Brompton Cemetery in London 32 Honours EditBritish Edit Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George GCMG 1 January 1916 33 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath GCB 1 January 1919 34 KCB 18 February 1915 35 CB 1906 Birthday Honours 36 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India GCSI 3 June 1919 37 Baronet of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling 12 May 1921 31 Others Edit Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour of France 10 September 1915 38 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun of the Empire of Japan 17 May 1919 39 References Edit 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 Barrow Gen Sir George 1931 The Life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro London Hutchinson amp Co No 24751 The London Gazette 12 August 1879 p 4900 No 25007 The London Gazette 23 August 1881 p 4347 No 25970 The London Gazette 3 September 1889 p 4787 a b Beckett amp Corvi 2006 p 122 General Sir Charles Monro Bt GCB GCSI GCMG ADC 1920 1929 Archived from the original on 14 March 2004 No 26941 The London Gazette 22 February 1898 p 1118 No 27074 The London Gazette 25 April 1899 p 2629 No 27164 The London Gazette 13 February 1900 p 1002 No 27306 The London Gazette 19 April 1901 p 2705 No 27546 The London Gazette 24 April 1903 p 2618 No 27551 The London Gazette 12 May 1903 p 2987 No 28024 The London Gazette 24 May 1907 p 3593 No 28433 The London Gazette 4 November 1910 p 7908 No 28600 The London Gazette 19 April 1912 p 2792 No 28921 The London Gazette Supplement 29 September 1914 p 7787 Barrow General Sir Charles 1931 The life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro London Hutchinson p 113 No 29048 The London Gazette Supplement 22 January 1915 p 785 No 29267 The London Gazette Supplement 17 August 1915 p 8247 No 29341 The London Gazette Supplement 26 October 1915 p 10615 Crowley Patrick 2016 Loyal to Empire The Life of General Sir Charles Monro 1860 1929 Stroud The History Press pp 202 222 Barrow 1931 pp 61 86 Barrow 1931 p 65 Churchill Rt Hon Winston S 1949 1923 The World Crisis New York Charles Scribner s Sons p 532 Gilbert Martin 1994 The First World War New York Henry Holt p 213 ISBN 9780805015409 Barrow 1931 p 271 Woodward 1998 pp 118 9 No 30129 The London Gazette Supplement 12 June 1917 p 5850 Barrow 1931 p 266 a b No 32323 The London Gazette 13 May 1921 p 3846 brompton org Diese Website steht zum Verkauf Informationen zum Thema brompton www brompton org No 29507 The London Gazette Supplement 14 March 1916 p 2872 No 31097 The London Gazette Supplement 31 December 1918 p 81 No 29074 The London Gazette Supplement 16 February 1915 p 1686 No 27926 The London Gazette Supplement 26 June 1906 p 4460 No 31379 The London Gazette Supplement 30 May 1919 p 7046 No 29290 The London Gazette 10 September 1915 p 8986 No 31345 The London Gazette Supplement 16 May 1919 p 6208 Further reading Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sir Charles Monro Wikiquote has quotations related to Charles Monro Beckett Ian F W Corvi Steven J 2006 Haig s Generals Barnsley Pen amp Sword Military ISBN 978 1 84415 169 1 Crowley Patrick Loyal to Empire The Life of General Sir Charles Monro 1860 1929 Stroud United Kingdom The History Press 2016 ISBN 9780750965996 Woodward David R Field Marshal Sir William Robertson Westport Connecticut amp London Praeger 1998 ISBN 0 275 95422 6 Chisholm Hugh ed 1922 Monro Sir Charles Carmichael Encyclopaedia Britannica 12th ed London amp New York The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company Military officesPreceded byVesey Dawson GOC 2nd London Division1912 1914 Succeeded byThomas MorlandPreceded byHenry Lawson GOC 2nd DivisionAugust December 1914 Succeeded byHenry HornePreceded byDouglas Haig GOC I Corps1914 1915 Succeeded byHubert GoughPreceded byNew post GOC Third ArmyJuly September 1915 Succeeded bySir Edmund AllenbyPreceded bySir John Maxwell GOC British Troops in Egypt1915 1916 Succeeded bySir Archibald MurrayPreceded bySir Ian Hamilton GOC Mediterranean Expeditionary Force1915 1916Preceded bySir Henry Rawlinson GOC First ArmyJanuary October 1916 Succeeded bySir Henry HornePreceded bySir Beauchamp Duff Commander in Chief India1916 1920 Succeeded byThe Lord RawlinsonHonorary titlesPreceded bySir Edward Hamilton Colonel of the Queen s Royal Regiment West Surrey 1920 1929 Succeeded bySir Wilkinson BirdPreceded byB T L Thomson Honorary Colonel of the 23rd London Regiment1922 1928 Succeeded byThe Lord Astor of HeverGovernment officesPreceded bySir Horace Smith Dorrien Governor of Gibraltar1923 1928 Succeeded bySir Alexander GodleyBaronetage of the United KingdomNew creation Baronet of Bearcrofts 1920 1929 ExtinctHeraldic officesPreceded bySir George Callaghan King of Arms of the Order of the Bath1920 1929 Succeeded bySir William Pakenham Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sir Charles Monro 1st Baronet amp oldid 1125621097, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
