Ronald Charles
| Sir Ronald Charles | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1875 |
| Died | 1955 (aged 79 or 80) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| 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 |
Lieutenant-General Sir James Ronald Edmonstone Charles, KCB, CMG, DSO (1875–1955) was a British officer in the Royal Engineers.
Military career
Charles was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1894.[1] He served in the Second Boer War (1899-1901), was mentioned in despatches (31 March 1900[2]), and received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1900.[3] He was part of the Bazar Valley and Mohmand Field Forces in 1908.[1]
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.[4]
He was appointed Commander of the Waziristan Force in India in 1923 and then became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1924.[1] He was Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the War Office from 1926 and Master-General of the Ordnance from 1931.[5] He retired in 1934.[1]
His nickname among the troops was 'Don Carlos', deriving from his commanding personality and his height of 6’ 4”.[4] He was also Commandant of the Royal Engineers from 1931 to 1945 and Chief Royal Engineer from 1940 to 1946.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 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.
- 1 2 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 |