Brigadier Sir Charles Frederick Carson (10 February 1886 – 3 May 1960) was a Canadian soldier and engineer who saw active service in both World Wars as a member of the British Army.

Education

Carson was born in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

, the son of Canadians Robert James Carson and Emma Lavinia Casey. He was enrolled at the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

in from 1905 to 1909. He served as college battalion sergeant-major in 1907–08.

Military service

Carson was commissioned as a regular officer of the Royal Engineers. He was posted to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1911 with the 9 Railway Company Sappers. He served as general manager of the North West Railway of India. During the First World War, he served in France and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1917: In 1941, he served as director of transportation, 10th Army, with headquarters at Baghdad with the Persia-Iraq Force in the maintenance of railways. Since it looked as if

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

would become a battle area during

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 ...

, the British forces in these areas were strengthened. A new command called Persia and Iraq Force (PAIFORCE) was formed in September, 1942, with headquarters at Baghdad. Carson served as director of transportation for Iraq and Persia.

Civilian career

Carson was appointed executive vice president of Montreal Locomotive Works Ltd, manufacturers and suppliers from 1944 to 1951.

Awards and recognition

Carson was knighted in the

1941 New Year Honours The 1941 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1940.United Kingdom and Britis ...

for his work on railways. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1943 in recognition of his services in Persia-Iraq. He was awarded a MC in the

1917 New Year Honours The 1917 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in several editions of ''The London Gazette'' in Ja ...

Family

Carson married Dorothy Anne Brownfield, with whom he had three sons, Colonel Robert John Carson, Colonel Frederick Sinclair Carson and Peter James Carson, and a daughter, Patricia.

References

;Additional sources *Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) ''Swords and Covenants'' Rowman and Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976. *Dr. Richard Arthur Preston ''To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada'' 1997 Toronto,

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calen ...

, 1969. *Dr. Richard Arthur Preston ''Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College'' Second Edition 1982 *R. Guy C. Smith (editor) ''As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember''. In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876–1918. Volume II: 1919–1984. Royal Military College. ingston The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984 {{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Charles Frederick 1886 births 1960 deaths Canadian Anglicans Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian Knights Bachelor Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War I British Army brigadiers of World War II Canadian Companions of the Order of the Bath Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Military College of Canada alumni Canadian recipients of the Military Cross