Editing Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet

{{Short description|British Army general (1860–1929)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Sir Charles Monro, Bt
|birth_date= {{birth date|1860|06|15|df=yes}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1929|12|07|1860|06|15|df=yes}}
|birth_place= At sea on the ''Maid of Judah''
|death_place= [[Westminster]], [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom]]
|image= Charlesmonroe.jpg  
|caption= 
|nickname=
|allegiance= [[United Kingdom]]/[[British Empire]]
|branch= [[British Army]]
|serviceyears= 1878–1920
|rank= [[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
|unit= [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)]]
|commands= [[13th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|13th Brigade]]<br />[[47th (1/2nd London) Division|2nd London Division]]<br />[[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Division]]<br />[[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]]<br />[[Third Army (United Kingdom)|Third Army]]<br />[[Mediterranean Expeditionary Force]]<br />[[First Army (United Kingdom)|First Army]]<br />[[Commander-in-Chief, India]]
|battles= [[Second Boer War]]<br />[[World War I|First World War]]<br />[[Third Anglo-Afghan War]]
|awards= [[Baronet]]<br />[[Order of the Bath|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]<br />[[Order of St Michael and St George|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br />[[Order of the Star of India|Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
|laterwork= [[Governor of Gibraltar]]
}}
[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|GCB|GCSI|GCMG|KStJ}} (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was a [[British Army]] General in the [[World War I|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]].

==Early military career==
He was the youngest son of Henry Monro and Catherine Power. Educated at [[Sherborne School]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]], Monro was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] into the [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)|2nd Regiment of Foot]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on 13 August 1879.<ref name=odnb>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-35068|title=Monro, Sir Charles Carmichael, baronet (1860–1929), army officer|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/35068}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Gen. Sir George| last=Barrow| title=The Life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro| year=1931| location=London| publisher=Hutchinson & Co.}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24751|page=4900|date=12 August 1879}}</ref> He was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 15 May 1881 and to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 24 July 1889.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25007|page=4347|date=23 August 1881 |nolink=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25970|page=4787|date=3 September 1889 |nolink=y}}</ref>{{sfnm|1a1=Beckett|1a2=Corvi|1y=2006|1p=122}}

He attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]] from 1889 to 1890<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/036.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040314135734/http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/colonels/036.html| archive-date = 2004-03-14| title = General Sir Charles Monro Bt GCB GCSI GCMG ADC 1920-1929}} </ref>{{sfnm|1a1=Beckett|1a2=Corvi|1y=2006|1p=122}} and, promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] on 23 February 1898,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26941|page=1118|date=22 February 1898 |nolink=y}}</ref> he served as a [[brigade major]] until he was appointed a [[Deputy Assistant Adjutant General|deputy assistant adjutant general]] on 15 April 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27074|page=2629|date=25 April 1899 |nolink=y}}</ref> He vacated that appointment in February 1900,<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=27164|page=1002| date=13 February 1900| |nolink=y}}</ref> as he went to [[South Africa]] to serve in the [[Second Boer War]], where he was present at the [[Battle of Paardeberg]] in 1900.<ref name=odnb/> Promoted to temporary [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] in 1900, he was brevetted to lieutenant-colonel on 29 November 1900.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27306|page=2705|date=19 April 1901 |nolink=y}}</ref> On 28 March 1903, he was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel and appointed commandant of the [[School of Musketry]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27546|page=2618|date=24 April 1903 |nolink=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27551|page=2987|date=12 May 1903 |nolink=y}}</ref> Promoted to colonel in 1906, he was appointed [[Commander]] of [[13th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|13th Infantry Brigade]] in [[Dublin]] on 12 May 1907, with the temporary rank of [[brigadier-general]].<ref name=odnb/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28024|page=3593|date=24 May 1907 |nolink=y}}</ref> Promoted to [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major-general]] on 31 October 1910, on 31 March 1912 he became [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) [[47th (1/2nd London) Division|2nd London Division]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28433|page=7908|date=4 November 1910 |nolink=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28600|page=2792|date=19 April 1912 |nolink=y}}</ref>

==First World War==
[[File:Monro inspecting 2nd division.jpg|thumb|left|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 Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Division]], which played an important part in the [[First Battle of Ypres]].<ref name=odnb/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28921 |supp=y|page=7787|date=29 September 1914  |nolink=y}}</ref> He led with what a subordinate described as "the gift of personal magnetism".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Barrow|first1=General Sir Charles|title=The life of General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro|year=1931|publisher=Hutchinson|location=London|page=113}}</ref> On 27 December 1914 he became General Officer Commanding [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]], with the temporary rank of [[lieutenant-general]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29048 |supp=y|page=785|date=22 January 1915 |nolink=y}}</ref> He was made General Officer Commanding [[Third Army (United Kingdom)|Third Army]] on 15 July 1915 with the temporary rank of general.<ref name=odnb/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29267 |supp=y|page=8247|date=17 August 1915 |nolink=y}}</ref> He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant-general on 28 October.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29341 |supp=y|page=10615|date=26 October 1915 |nolink=y}}</ref>

In October 1915, the seventh month of the [[Gallipoli Campaign]], General [[Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton|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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Crowley|first1=Patrick|title=Loyal to Empire; The Life of General Sir Charles Monro, 1860-1929|year=2016|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud|pages=202–222}}</ref> The Allied position had been drastically altered by the entry of [[Bulgaria during World War I|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.<ref>Barrow 1931, pp. 61-86.</ref> After three days conferring and inspecting the three beachheads, Monro cabled [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Secretary of State for War Herbert Kitchener]] to recommend evacuating "the mere fringe of the coast-line" that had been secured.<ref>Barrow 1931, p. 65.</ref> 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 [[Macedonian front|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"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Churchill|first1=Rt. Hon. Winston S.|title=The World Crisis|year=1949|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York|page=532|orig-year=1923}}</ref> 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 {{mdash}} 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Martin|title=The First World War|url=https://archive.org/details/firstworldwarcom00gilb|url-access=registration|year=1994|publisher=Henry Holt|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/firstworldwarcom00gilb/page/213 213]|isbn=9780805015409}}</ref>

In 1916 Monro briefly commanded the [[Third Army (United Kingdom)|British Third Army]] in France before becoming [[Commander-in-Chief India]] later that year.<ref name=odnb/> He was a fine choice, because his "Standard was whether a man was an Empire-builder."<ref>Barrow 1931, p. 271</ref> One of his responsibilities was the [[Mesopotamian campaign|campaign in Mesopotamia]]. On 1 August 1916 British Chief of Staff [[William Robertson (British Army officer)|William Robertson]] ordered him to "keep up a good show" in Mesopotamia but not to make any further attempts to take [[Baghdad]] {{mdash}} this restriction was overruled on the War Committee by [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Curzon]] and [[Austen Chamberlain|Chamberlain]]. On his way to India Monro inspected the forces in Mesopotamia commanded by General [[Frederick Stanley Maude|Maude]]. After receiving Monro's favourable report on 18 September 1916 the War Committee authorized Maude to attack.<ref>Woodward 1998, pp. 118-9.</ref> On 1 October 1916, Monro was promoted to the substantive rank of general.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue = 30129 |supp=y|page=5850| date = 12 June 1917 |nolink=y}}</ref> Baghdad was taken on 11 March 1917.    In off hours Monro continued to charm with his "whimsical, almost fantastic type of humour."<ref>Barrow 1931, p. 266.</ref>

==Later life==
[[File:CharlesMonroBrompton.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London.]]

In May 1921, Monro was created a Baronet, of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{London Gazette|issue=32323|page=3846|date=13 May 1921 |nolink=y}}</ref> In 1923 Monro was appointed [[Governor of Gibraltar]].<ref name=odnb/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brompton.org/Residents.htm|title=brompton.org - Diese Website steht zum Verkauf! - Informationen zum Thema brompton.|website=www.brompton.org}}</ref>

==Honours==
===British===
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Michael and St. George]] (GCMG): 1 January 1916<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29507 |supp=y|page=2872|date=14 March 1916 |nolink=y}}</ref>
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (GCB): 1 January 1919<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31097 |supp=y|page=81|date=31 December 1918 |nolink=y}}</ref> (KCB: 18 February 1915;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29074 |supp=y|page=1686|date=16 February 1915 |nolink=y}}</ref> CB: 1906 Birthday Honours<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27926 |supp=y|page=4460|date=26 June 1906 |nolink=y}}</ref>)
* Knight Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Star of India]] (GCSI): 3 June 1919<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31379 |supp=y|page=7046|date=30 May 1919 |nolink=y}}</ref>
* Baronet of Bearcrofts in the Shire of Stirling: 12 May 1921<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Others===
* Grand Officer of the [[Legion of Honour]] of France: 10 September 1915<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29290|page=8986|date=10 September 1915 |nolink=y}}</ref>
* Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] of the [[Empire of Japan]]: 17 May 1919<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31345 |supp=y|page=6208|date=16 May 1919 |nolink=y}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Sir Charles Monro}}
{{Wikiquote|Charles Monro}}
*{{cite book |last1=Beckett |first1=Ian F. W. |last2=Corvi |first2=Steven J. |title=Haig's Generals |year=2006 |publisher=Pen & Sword Military |location=Barnsley |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 & London: Praeger, 1998, {{ISBN|0-275-95422-6}}
* {{cite EB1922|wstitle=Monro, Sir Charles Carmichael}}

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{{Commander-in-Chief, India}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Monro, Charles Carmichael}}
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1929 deaths]]
[[Category:People born at sea]]
[[Category:Governors of Gibraltar]]
[[Category:British Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:British Commanders-in-Chief of India]]
[[Category:Burials at Brompton Cemetery]]
[[Category:Clan Munro|Charles Monro, 1st Baronet]]
[[Category:People educated at Sherborne School]]
[[Category:Queen's Royal Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]
[[Category:Members of the Council of the Governor General of India]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]