Ronald Charles
Lieutenant-General Sir James Ronald Edmondston Charles, KCB, CMG, DSO (26 June 1875 – 24 December 1955) was a British officer in the Royal Engineers.[1]
Sir Ronald Charles | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 June 1875[1] Calcutta, British India |
| Died | 24 December 1955 (aged 80) Somerset, England |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | 25th Division Royal Military Academy, Woolwich |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order |
Military career
Charles was born in Calcutta, British India, the son of Thomas Edmondston Charles FRCP, honorary physician to King Edward VII.[2][3] He was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[1] was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1894.[4] He served in the Second Boer War (1899-1901), was mentioned in despatches (31 March 1900[5]), and received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1900.[6] He was part of the Bazar Valley and Mohmand Field Forces in 1908.[4]
He spent most of the First World War in the General Staff until being promoted to command a re-constituted 25th Division in August 1918.[7]
He was appointed Commander of the Waziristan Force in India in 1923 and then became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1924.[4] He was Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the War Office from 1926 and Master-General of the Ordnance from 1931.[8] He retired in 1934.[4]
His nickname among the troops was 'Don Carlos', deriving from his commanding personality and his height of 6’ 4".[7] He was also Commandant of the Royal Engineers from 1931 to 1945 and Chief Royal Engineer from 1940 to 1946.[4]
References
- "Obituary: Lt.-Gen. Sir Ronald Charles". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 28 December 1955. p. 11.
- Addison, Henry Robert; Oakes, Charles Henry; Lawson, William John; Sladen, Douglas Brooke Wheelton (1906). Who's who. A. & C. Black. p. 317. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- "Deaths in the Services". The Lancet. J. Onwhyn: 702. 10 March 1906.
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- "No. 27282". The London Gazette. 8 February 1901. pp. 844–846.
- "No. 27359". The London Gazette. 27 September 1901. p. 6309.
- Centre for First World War Studies
- "No. 33785". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1931. p. 3.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Webb Gillman |
Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Woolwich 1924–1926 |
Succeeded by Hugo de Pree |
| Preceded by John Burnett-Stuart |
Director of Military Operations and Intelligence 1926–1931 |
Succeeded by William Bartholomew |
| Preceded by Sir Webb Gillman |
Master-General of the Ordnance 1931–1934 |
Succeeded by Sir Hugh Elles |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Bindon Blood |
Chief Royal Engineer 1946–1951 |
Succeeded by Sir Guy Williams |