Charles Edmund Carrington,
MC (21 April 1897 – 21 June 1990) was a scholar, Professor of History at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, Educational Secretary to
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
and a historian specializing in the British Empire and Commonwealth, a Professor of Commonwealth Relations at the
Royal Institute of International Affairs
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
and the author of a number of books academic, learned and biographical. He was a decorated volunteer
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer, in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and again in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Personal life
Carrington was born in
West Bromwich
West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...
, then part of
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He moved to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
with his family where his father
C. W. Carrington became Dean of Christchurch. His son married 1. Cecil Grace MacGregor 1932 (dissolved in 1954) 2. Maysie Cuthbert Robertson 1955.
Who's Who
''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...
1975
He is remembered on the Imperial War Museums
We remember Charles Edward Carringtonsite.
Education
He was educated at
Christ's College, New Zealand and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
(
BA 1921;
MA 1929).
First World War
When the
First World War broke out in August 1914 Carrington was in England preparing for university entrance examinations and enlisted in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
's
Royal Warwickshire Regiment, although he was under age. In February 1915 an uncle obtained for him a
commission as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
into the 9th (Service) Battalion,
York and Lancaster Regiment, a
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob,
was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...
unit, part of the
70th Brigade of the
23rd Division, where his job was to train his
platoon. In August 1915 he was deemed too young to join the
battalion in France.
Carrington desperately wanted to fight after spending more than a year training in England. He managed to obtain a transfer to the
1/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, a
Territorial Force battalion assigned to the
143rd (1/1st Warwickshire) Brigade of the
48th (South Midland) Division
The 48th (South Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army. Part of the Territorial Force (TF) and raised in 1908, the division was originally called the South Midland Division, and was redesignated as the 48th (South Midland ...
, and sailed to France in December. He spent six months in the
trenches in a relatively quiet sector of the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
at
Gommecourt before being transferred to the
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
in July 1916.
He was promoted to Captain 1917. He was awarded the
Military Cross.
He can be heard recounting some of his First World War experiences in
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
's film
They Shall Not Grow Old
''They Shall Not Grow Old'' is a 2018 documentary film directed and produced by Peter Jackson. The film was created using original footage of the First World War from the Imperial War Museum's archives, most previously unseen, all over 100 year ...
. He also features in the BBC film clip, ″The voices behind They Shall Not Grow Old″
Career
After being demobilised in 1919, he finished his education at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, studying history. He became assistant master of the public school,
Haileybury (1921–24 and 1926–29). Lecturer at
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named after ...
(1924–25). From 1929-1954 he was Educational Secretary to the
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
.
He rejoined the British Army in the
Second World War, serving as a liaison officer with the
Royal Air Force and as Lt. Col.
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
(1941–45).
Carrington left Cambridge in 1954 to become Professor of Commonwealth Relations at the
Royal Institute of International Affairs
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
(the RIIA - Chatham House), a post he held until 1962. During that time he was also the
Chatham House organiser responsible for the Commonwealth Relations conferences in New Zealand in 1959 and in Nigeria in 1962
He also sat on the
London County Council Education Committee; the
Classical Association Council; the
Publishers' Association
The Publishers Association (PA) is the trade organisation serving book, journal and electronic publishers in the United Kingdom, established in 1896. Its mission is to strengthen the trading environment for UK publishers by providing a strong voice ...
Educational Group; The
Royal Commonwealth Society Council; The Inter-University Council; The Overseas Migration Board; and the Islington Society, and was Chairman of Shoreditch Housing Association.
Books on his wartime experiences
From his experiences in the First World War he wrote the first book of his memoirs of his time as an officer on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
which in 1929 was published as ''A Subaltern's War'' under the pseudonym Charles Edmonds. He had written it ten years previously. In 1964 he recounted his experiences of the Great War to the BBC in a series of interviews for their project
''The Great War''. These were broadcast in 2014 and again in 2016 as part of the commemorations for the centenary of the war.
In ''A Subaltern's War'' Carrington sought to counter the widespread view that there was no other type of men who served in the war than "Prussian militarists" and "disillusioned pessimists": "No corrupt sergeant majors stole my rations or accepted my bribes. No incompetent colonels failed to give me food or lodging. No casual staff officers ordered me to certain death, indifferent to my fate".
He wrote of his Second World War experiences in ''Soldier at Bomber Command'', published in 1987.
In 1965 he provided a wider picture of both the First World War and his role in it in ''Soldier from the Wars Returning''. Carrington argued that Britain's involvement in the First World War was just and that there was no alternative to persevering until victory was won. Britain had reason to be proud of the Army's achievement.
[ Brian Bond, ''Survivors of a Kind: Memoirs of the Western Front'' (London: Continuum, 2008, p. 13] He wrote positively of the effect of Army training on recruits
When the 1960s saw a more critical attitude of the War, expressed in
Alan Clark
Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 – 5 September 1999) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), author and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Tra ...
's book ''The Donkeys'' and
Joan Littlewood's play ''
Oh, What a Lovely War!'', Carrington praised the historian
John Terraine's defence of
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Sir Douglas Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...
,
Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, and the record of the British Army.
Rudyard Kipling Biography
When in 1955
Macmillan
MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to:
People
* McMillan (surname)
* Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan
* Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician
* James MacMillan, Scottish composer
* William Duncan MacMillan ...
published Carrington's biography of
Rudyard Kipling,
Graham Greene praised it as "A very good biography - we are not left, as we so often are when we have closed an official life, with the thought "here is a quarry where other men in the future may dig more profitably". Mr Carrington has dug with effect. The quarry is closed".
Peter Quennell claimed the book was "sound, scholarly, yet never for a moment dull".
List of his Books
*''A Subaltern's War'', Charles Edmonds
.e. C. E. Carrington Peter Davies Ltd. (1929).
*''History of England Part II, 1485-1714'', C. E. Carrington and J. Hamden Jackson,
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
, (1932)
*''T.E.Lawrence'' by Charles Edmonds
.e. C. E. Carrington Peter Davies, London (1935)
*''An Exposition of Empire'', C.E. Carrington, Cambridge University Press (1947)
*''The British Overseas: exploits of a nation of shopkeepers'', C.E. Carrington, Cambridge University Press, (1950)
*''John Robert Godley of Canterbury'', C.E. Carrington, Cambridge University Press. (1951)
*''Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Work'', C.E. Carrington,
Macmillan
MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to:
People
* McMillan (surname)
* Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan
* Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician
* James MacMillan, Scottish composer
* William Duncan MacMillan ...
, London (1955).
*''The Cambridge History of the British Empire; Vol 3,The Empire - Commonwealth'' with L.E.Benians,
Sir James Butler and C.E. Carrington (editors), Cambridge University Press (1959)
*''Chatham House and its Neighbours : A Historical Sketch'', C.E. Carrington, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1959. With additions republished as ''Chatham House; Its History and Inhabitants'', C.E. Carrington, Revised and updated by Mary Bone, Royal institute of International Affairs, 2004.
*''The Liquidation of the British Empire: The Reid Lectures of Acadia University 1959 '', C.E. Carrington, George G. Harrap & Co, London (1961).
*''Soldier from the Wars Returning'', C.E. Carrington, Hutchison (1965).
*''Soldier at Bomber Command'', C.E. Carrington, L. Cooper, London (1987).
* Contributor to An African Survey (1957) Surveys of international Affairs (1957–58 and !959-60), published by
Chatham House
Who's Who
''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...
and publishers
Notes
References
*
Brian Bond, ''Survivors of a Kind: Memoirs of the Western Front'' (London: Continuum, 2008).
External links
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01td104 BBC Great War Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrington, Charles
1897 births
1990 deaths
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers
York and Lancaster Regiment officers
English biographers
People from West Bromwich
20th-century English historians
Chatham House people
People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Military personnel from Staffordshire
British Army personnel of World War II
Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers soldiers