Charles Waring Darwin (British Army officer)

British soldier and landowner

Colonel Charles Waring Darwin, CB, DL, JP (28 August 1855 – 1 August 1928) was a British soldier and landowner.[1]

Darwin was the son of Francis Darwin JP DL (né Rhodes) of Elston Hall, Nottinghamshire; his mother Charlotte Maria Cooper Darwin (1827–1885) was the daughter of William Brown Darwin of Elston (1774–1841). He was a second cousin once removed of the naturalist Charles Darwin, their shared ancestors (CWD's great-great-grandparents, CRD's great-grandparents), being Robert Darwin of Elston and his wife Elizabeth (née Hill).[1] His father had changed the family name from Rhodes (of Creskeld Hall) to Darwin (of Elston Hall) in 1850 in order to inherit the latter property from his brother-in-law Robert Alvey Darwin (1826–1847).[2] He was educated at Winchester College.[3]

In 1894 he married Mary Dorothea Wharton, daughter of John Lloyd Wharton MP.[1] They had three sons, each of whom pursued military careers:

* Charles John Wharton Darwin, DSO, Royal Air Force (1894–1941)
* Francis Wharton Darwin, Royal Navy (1896–1972)
* Gilbert William Lloyd Darwin, Royal Air Force (1899–1979)

Darwin entered the British Army in 1873,[3] achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Durham Light Infantry in 1894, before his retirement in 1895. Despite official retirement, he was appointed a major in the 4th (Militia) battalion of his regiment on 15 February 1900,[4] and again saw active service with this battalion in South Africa during the Second Boer War, where he was awarded the service medal with 3 clasps. Following the end of the war, he returned to the United Kingdom with his battalion on the SS Roslin Castle in September 1902, and the battalion was disembodied.[5]

From 1905 to 1912 Darwin was commanding officer of the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Durham on 18 January 1908.[6] From 1908 to 1912 he was chairman of the County Durham Territorial Force Association. He was also a justice of the peace for Durham. In 1911 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

He died in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1928,[7] where forces were stationed as part of the British Army of the Rhine, and his funeral was held there.[8] His estate was valued at £55,983.[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Freeman, R. B. (1978), Charles Darwin: A Companion, Folkestone: Dawson & Sons Ltd, pp. 111, 301
2. ^ Burke's Landed Gentry
3. ^ a b ‘DARWIN, Col Charles Waring’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 26 Dec 2013
4. ^ "No. 27169". The London Gazette. 27 February 1900. p. 1354.
5. ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36875\. London. 17 September 1902. p. 5.
6. ^ "No. 28102". The London Gazette. 24 January 1908. p. 52.
7. ^ Obituaries, The Times, Friday, Aug 03, 1928; pg. 14; Issue 44962; col E
8. ^ The Times, Wednesday, Aug 08, 1928; pg. 15; Issue 44966; col B Deaths Category: Deaths
9. ^ RECENT WILLS: Uncle of Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Kipling The Manchester Guardian 17 November 1928 page 8