Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Charles Edward Corkran, (20 August 1872 – 9 January 1939) was a senior

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 who served as Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

from 1928 to 1932.

Military career

Born the son of Colonel Charles Seymour CorkranThe Peerage.com
/ref> and educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

,The late Major-General Sir Charles Corkran
Hansard, 7 February 1939 Corkran was commissioned into the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

in March 1893.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 12 May 1897, and served on the Nile Expedition in 1898, including at the

Battle of Omdurman The Battle of Omdurman was fought during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan between a British–Egyptian expeditionary force commanded by British Commander-in-Chief (sirdar) major general Horatio Herbert Kitchener and a Sudanese army of the M ...

. He was appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment on 22 October 1899, was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 30 November 1899, and left with his regiment for South Africa to serve in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in March 1900. Serving there throughout the war, he was wounded in the action at Biddulphsberg (May 1900), and was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. For his service in the war, he received a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion as

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the South African Honours list published on 26 June 1902. Following the end of hostilities in June 1902, Corkran resigned as adjutant of the 2nd battalion on 16 September 1902, but stayed in South Africa as he was the following day appointed Aide-de-camp to Sir

Neville Lyttelton General The Honourable Sir Neville Gerald Lyttelton, (28 October 1845 – 6 July 1931) was a British Army officer from the Lyttelton family who served against the Fenian Raids, and in the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Mahdist War and the Second Boer W ...

, Commander-in-Chief of South Africa. He also served in the

First World War 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, as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of a battalion of the Grenadier Guards, took his men to France in 1914. After the war he became commanding officer of the Grenadier Guards Regiment and then went on to be

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the Senior Officers' School. He was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1923 and then became Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding

in 1928. He retired in 1932. In retirement he became

Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Lords Black Rod (officially known as the Lady Usher of the Black Rod or, if male, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parliam ...

. He died in a shooting accident.

Family

In 1904 he married Winifred Maud Ricardo, daughter of Colonel Horace Ricardo, another commanding officer of the Grenadier Guards. They had one daughter and two sons.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Corkran, Charles 1872 births 1939 deaths British Army major generals People educated at Eton College Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Grenadier Guards officers Commandants of Sandhurst British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Serjeants-at-arms of the House of Lords