Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet

Charles Carmichael Monro
Gen. Sir Charles Monro
Born	(1860-06-15)June 15, 1860
Died	December 7, 1929(1929-12-07) (aged 69)
Place of birth	born at sea on the Maid of Judah
Place of death	Westminster, London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1878 – 1920
Rank	General
Commands held	13th Infantry Brigade 2nd London Division 2nd Division I Corps 3rd Army Mediterranean Expeditionary Force 1st Army British Army in India
Battles/wars	World War I Third Anglo-Afghan War
Awards	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

General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet of Bearcrofts, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929) was a British Army General during World War I and Governor of Gibraltar from 1923 to 1929.

Military career

Educated at Sherborne School and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Monro was commissioned into the 2nd Regiment of Foot in 1879. He served in the Second Boer War and was present at the Battle of Paardeberg in 1900. In 1907 he was appointed Commander of 13th Infantry Brigade in Dublin and in 1912 he became General Officer Commanding 2nd London Division.

He was deployed to France as General Officer Commanding 2nd Division at the start of World War I and played an important part in the First Battle of Ypres. In December 1914 he became General Officer Commanding I Corps and then in July 1915 he was made General Officer Commanding Third Army. After the Gallipoli Campaign, General Ian Hamilton was dismissed as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and replaced by Charles Monro in October 1915. Monro ordered the evacuation of troops from Gallipoli.

In 1916 Monro briefly commanded the British First Army in France before becoming Commander-in-Chief India later that year. As Commander-in-Chief, India Monro had responsibility for the Mesopotamian campaign. Robertson told him to “keep up a good show” (1 August 1916) in Mesopotamia but not to make any further attempt to take Baghdad, but this was overruled by Curzon and Chamberlain on the War Committee. Monro inspected Maude’s forces on his way out to India, and after receiving his favourable report the War Committee authorised Maude to attack (18 September 1916).

In 1923 Monro was appointed Governor of Gibraltar.

Monro died in 1929 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.

Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London

Further reading

• Woodward, David R. "Field Marshal Sir William Robertson", Westport Connecticut & London: Praeger, 1998, ISBN 0-275-95422-6

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Henry Lawson	General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division August 1914–December 1914	Succeeded by Henry Horne
Preceded by Douglas Haig	GOC I Corps December 1914 – July 1915	Succeeded by Hubert Gough
Preceded by Sir Henry Rawlinson	Commander of the British First Army 1915	Succeeded by Sir Henry Horne
Preceded by new creation	Commander of the British Third Army 1915	Succeeded by Sir Edmund Allenby
Preceded by Sir Beauchamp Duff	Commander-in-Chief, India 1916–1920	Succeeded by The Lord Rawlinson
Preceded by Sir Edward Hamilton	Colonel of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) 1920–1929	Succeeded by Sir Wilkinson Bird
Preceded by B. T. L. Thomson	Honorary Colonel of the 23rd London Regiment 1922–1928	Succeeded by The Lord Astor of Hever
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien	Governor of Gibraltar 1923–1928	Succeeded by Sir Alexander Godley
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New Creation	Baronet (of Bearcrofts) 1920–1929	Succeeded by Extinct
Heraldic offices
Preceded by Sir George Callaghan	King of Arms of the Order of the Bath 1920 – 1929	Succeeded by Sir William Pakenham