Charles Bonham-Carter
Encyclopedia
General Sir Charles Bonham-Carter GCB
CMG
DSO
(25 February 1876 - 21 October 1955) was a British Army officer and later Governor of Malta.
near Bristol and then the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
in Camberley and joined the British Expeditionary Force to France as a regimental officer. He held a number of staff posts in France and between 1917 and 1918 he was Brigadier General Staff (Training) at the General Head Quarters, despite opposition he started programmes to train the men in general and vocational subjects. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
and the American Distinguished Service Medal
for his work and was mentioned in dispatches five times.
After the First World War Bonham-Carter served in Turkey and India, and in 1927 became Director of Staff Duties. In 1931 he moved to become General Officer Commanding the 4th Division
in Colchester
. In 1933 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General and became Director-General of the Territorial Army until 1936.
. It was a time of political unrest on the island and a constitional body was formed to find a more representative form of self-government, the earlier constitution had been suspended. The subsequent changes overseen by Bonham-Carter was to create something more representative and acceptable to the population. Although a strong supporter of the need to defend the islands after war was declared in 1939, but by October 1940 he had become ill and had to resign his post.
. He died at home in Petersfield, Hampshire on 21 October 1955.
included Edgar Bonham Carter and Maurice Bonham Carter
, the latter of whom is the grandfather of actress Helena Bonham Carter
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(25 February 1876 - 21 October 1955) was a British Army officer and later Governor of Malta.
Early life
Bonham-Carter was born on 25 February 1876 at Paddington, London the ninth of eleven children of Henry and Sibella Charlotte Bonham-Carter. His father was a director of an insurance company. He was educated at Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
near Bristol and then the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Military
Bonham-Carter joined the Army in 1896 and saw active service in the Second Boer War. He went to the British Army Staff CollegeStaff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in Camberley and joined the British Expeditionary Force to France as a regimental officer. He held a number of staff posts in France and between 1917 and 1918 he was Brigadier General Staff (Training) at the General Head Quarters, despite opposition he started programmes to train the men in general and vocational subjects. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and the American Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
for his work and was mentioned in dispatches five times.
After the First World War Bonham-Carter served in Turkey and India, and in 1927 became Director of Staff Duties. In 1931 he moved to become General Officer Commanding the 4th Division
4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. In 1933 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General and became Director-General of the Territorial Army until 1936.
Malta
In 1936 he was appointed Governor and Commander in Chief of Malta following the death of General Sir David CampbellDavid Campbell (British Army officer)
General Sir David Graham Muschet "Soarer" Campbell GCB was a cavalry officer of the British Army, amateur sportsman, and later Governor of Malta....
. It was a time of political unrest on the island and a constitional body was formed to find a more representative form of self-government, the earlier constitution had been suspended. The subsequent changes overseen by Bonham-Carter was to create something more representative and acceptable to the population. Although a strong supporter of the need to defend the islands after war was declared in 1939, but by October 1940 he had become ill and had to resign his post.
Retirement
Bonham-Carter took a number of posts in retirement including chairman of the Royal School, Bath, chairman of the Royal School for Soldier's Daughters in Hampstead. He was also a governor of his old school Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
. He died at home in Petersfield, Hampshire on 21 October 1955.
Family
Bonham-Carter first married in 1902 Gladys Beryl Coddington and they had two sons. Following a divorce in 1909 he married Gabrielle Madge Jeanette Fisher in 1911 and they had a son, Victor. His brothersBonham Carter family
The Bonham Carter family are descendants of John Bonham-Carter , a British Member of Parliament and barrister. The son of Sir John Carter, he assumed the name Bonham by Royal Licence when he inherited the estates of his cousin Thomas Bonham...
included Edgar Bonham Carter and Maurice Bonham Carter
Maurice Bonham Carter
Sir Maurice Bonham Carter, KCB, KCVO was an English Liberal politician and cricketer.Bonham Carter was the second son of Sibella Charlotte and Henry Bonham Carter. He was born in London and educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford...
, the latter of whom is the grandfather of actress Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
.
Honours
- 1917 - Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- 14 July 1917 - Brevet Colonel Charles Bonham-Carter, DSO, Royal West Kent Regiment is given permission to wear the Croix d'Officer of Légion d'honneur awarded by the President of the French Republic for distinguished service rendered during the course of the campaign.
- 1919 - Companions of the Order of St Michael and St GeorgeOrder of St Michael and St GeorgeThe Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
- 12 July 1919 - Brevert Colonel (temporary Brigadier-General) Charles Bonham-Carter, CMG, DSO, Royal West Kent Regiment is given permission to wear the American Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (United States)The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
awarded by the President of the United States for distinguished service rendered during the course of the campaign. - 1941 - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...