Charles Woollcombe

Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Louis Woollcombe (23 March 1857 – 6 May 1934) was a British Army General during World War I.

Early life and education Woollcombe was born in Devon, the eldest son of Rev. Louis Woollcombe, Rector of Petrockstowe, and Augusta Rundell Brown. He was educated at Marlborough College. After beginning a career as an accountant, he decided to join the military and in 1876 entered Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was a member of the football teams at Marlborough and Sandhurst. before obtaining a Regular commission in the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot in 1876. In 1877, he transferred to the 25th Regiment of Foot, which was retitled as the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1887. He took part in the Peshawar Valley expedition and the Khyber Line Force in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880 and, promoted in 1886 to captain, in the Chin Lushai expedition in Burma between 1889 and 1890.

He was deputy assistant adjutant general for Musketry in Bengal from May 1890 and then brigade major for the Chitral Relief Force in Buram in 1895. became Assistant Adjutant General for Musketry in India between 1901 and 1906.

He became Commander of the Allahabad Brigade in India in 1906, commander of the Garhwal Brigade in India in 1907 and, promoted to major general in April 1908, became general officer commanding (GOC) of the Highland Division in March 1911. In December 1913, while still GOC of his division, he was promoted to lieutenant general.

On the outbreak of the First World War he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command until 7 June 1915 when he became GOC-in-C of 2nd Army, Central Force. Then on 4 July 1916 he took command of 11th (Northern) Division on the Western Front (normally a major-general's command) until 1 December when he became GOC IV Corps. Finally on 29 June 1918 he returned to his post as GOC-in-Chief at Eastern Command: he was made a colonel commandant of the Royal Artillery in March 1919 and retired from the army in February 1920.

In September 1919, it was announced that he had been appointed Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania by the King of Romania "for distinguished services rendered during the course of the campaign" (i.e. the First World War).

Personal life In 1886, he married Agnes Meade Murray, youngest daughter of General Sir John Irvine Murray. They had two sons, Malcolm Louis and 2nd Lt. Charles Stephenson, and a daughter, Joan. The younger son was killed in action while serving with his father's regiment, the King's Own Scottish Borderers, at the Battle of La Bassée on 12 October 1914.

He died at his home, Chat Moss, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex.