Sir Charles Frederick Hadden (2 June 1854 – 13 September 1924) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served as

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

Early life and education

Hadden was born in Nottingham, the son of Charles Stanton Hadden, a Ceylon coffee planter. He was educated at Elstree School and

Cheltenham College Cheltenham College is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding linguis ...

before attending the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...

Military career

Hadden was commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1873.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He was appointed Chief Inspector at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proof test, proofing, and explosives research for ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

in 1893 and then became a Member of the Ordnance Committee and an Associate Member of Explosives Committee in 1901. He was made

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 ...

of the Ordnance College and Director of Artillery in 1904 before moving on to be

in 1907. In that capacity he was a member of a special committee set up by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

to exploit aerial construction in 1909.Great Britain wakes up
Flight International, 8 May 1909 He was appointed President of Ordnance Board and Royal Artillery Committee in 1913.

Personal life

In 1885, Hadden married Frances Mabel Strong, the daughter of Col. Clement Strong of the Coldstream Guard. He lived at Rossway near

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

. He died suddenly of heart failure, aged 70.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadden, Charles 1854 births 1924 deaths Royal Artillery officers British Army generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at Elstree School People educated at Cheltenham College Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Military personnel from Nottingham British Army major generals Military personnel from Hertfordshire 19th-century British Army personnel