British Army general (1875–1955)
Lieutenant General Sir James Ronald Edmondston Charles, KCB, CMG, DSO (26 June 1875 – 24 December 1955) was a senior British Army officer in the Royal Engineers.[1]
Family
Charles was born in Calcutta, British India, the son of Thomas Edmondston Charles, later honorary physician to King Edward VII,[2][3] and Ada Henrietta Charles.[4] He had two older sisters, Bessie and Ethel, who both studied architecture and became the first women members of the Royal Institute of British Architects.[5]
Military career
Charles was educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[1] and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1894.[6] He served in the Second Boer War (1899–1901), was mentioned in despatches (31 March 1900),[7] and received the Distinguished Service Order in November 1900.[8] He was part of the Bazar Valley and Mohmand Field Forces in 1908.[6]
Charles spent most of the First World War in the General Staff until being promoted to command a re-constituted 25th Division in August 1918.[9] He was appointed commander of the Waziristan Force in India in 1923 and then became commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1924.[6] He was Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at the War Office from 1926 and Master-General of the Ordnance from 1931.[10] He retired in 1934.[6]
Charles' nickname among the troops was 'Don Carlos', deriving from his commanding personality and his height of 6’ 4".[9] He was also commandant of the Royal Engineers from 1931 to 1945 and Chief Royal Engineer from 1940 to 1946.[6]
Civilian roles
From 1934 to 1953, Charles was a director of British Aluminium Company,[11] appointed for his high level connections and knowledge of defence procurement procedures gained at the War Office and as Master General of the Ordnance.[12]
References
