Family :

Education & Career :

Educated at St Peter's York: 1882-1886

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

22 April - 25 May 1915. On the 22nd April 1915 the Germans used poison gas at Ypres. This was the first 'official' use of gas and took the Allies by surprise. After initial success capitalising on the confusion and horror of this weapon, a heroic stand, initially by the Canadians and then supported by British and Indian Battalions, held the German advance. However it became clear that the Germans had achieved a tactical advantage and eventually the British were forced to retire to more a more defendable perimeter closer to Ypres. These positions were on the last ridges before Ypres and their loss would have resulted in the loss of the town and possibly open the Channel coast to German occupation with disastrous consequences for the re-supply of the BEF.

Detail :

CHARLES LAWSON ROBINSON LIEUTENANT COLONEL, 1ST MONMOUTH REGIMENT The story of what happened to the 1/Monmouths and the 1/12 London Regiment (The Rangers) is linked and is described in the Official History under the heading "The Stand and Annihilation of the 84th Brigade: Counter attack of the 1/12 London Regiment". Three Brethren, Lieutenant Edward Stone PHILLIPS and Lt Col Charles Lawson ROBINSON of the Monmouths and Private George Edgar NASH of the 1/12 Londons died in the engagement. The Monmouths lost 21 officers and 439 other ranks on 8th May 1915. The Ranger's story was as follows: On the night of May 2nd-3rd, the Battalion was sent to dig a trench line, fire and support trenches, on the Frezenburg ridge, and to man this, which was to become the front line in the event of a retirement from the salient at Zonnebeke taking place. This retirement took place the following night (May 3rd-4th) on which night the new line was improved. The German artillery soon found the new line on the Frezenburg ridge, and shelled it repeatedly, causing numerous casualties. Relief by the Monmouths, eagerly looked for by the troops now wearied with the strain of many days under continual shell fire, took place on the night May 7th-8th, and the Battalion retired to dug-outs behind the G.H.Q. line, arriving about 4 a.m. Heavy shelling of these dug-outs from about 6 a.m. onwards caused numerous casualties and forbade rest. At 11.15 a.m. came the order to advance in support of the Monmouths, the right of the Brigade line having been broken by the German advance. The Battalion, now about 200 strong, advanced with A, B and C Companies in the front line, led by Major Challen and Major Foucar, and D Company, under Captain Jones, in support, the Machine Gun Section with one gun only left, moving independently on the left flank. The Battalion had to pass through a gap in the barbed wire in front of the G.H.Q. line on which German machine-guns were trained, and suffered heavily in its passage. The whole of the ground over which the further advance took place was heavily shelled, and in places exposed to heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, so that the Battalion rapidly dwindled. A small remnant pushed forward to the rise where the trench line had been and there dug in, and stayed the German advance. (A captured British officer watching from the German lines records that "they came through a barrage of high explosive shells which struck them down by the dozens, but they never halted for a minute and continued the advance until hardly a man remained") Of survivors there were ultimately collected by Sergeant W. J. Hornall (every Officer having been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner), 53, mainly pioneers and signallers. All the remainder were either taken prisoner, killed, missing or wounded. The determination of the attack, it is said, was such that the Germans thought it could only have been made by troops sure of speedy and strong support, not, as in fact was the case, by practically the last remaining troops between them and Ypres, and so the enemy dug in without further advance, and thus was achieved the object for which so many gallant souls gave up their lives. The few survivors, after assisting to dig trenches in the vicinity for the next two or three days were ultimately withdrawn to the rest they so richly deserved.

Reports of his death were published in various publications, including the Shields Daily News on 15th May, 1915. "News has been received at Bishop Auckland that Lieut.-Col. Charles Lawson Robinson, commanding the Monmouthshire Regiment (T.F.), and formerly of Bishop Auckland Park Colliery. Subsequently he was appointed Inspector of Mines in South Wales, and later removed to Scotland in a similar capacity. When war broke out he held the position of Chief Inspector of Mines."

More details were published a few months later in the Western Mail 6th August, 1915 reports: "WELSH COLONEL'S ESTATE. Colone Charles Lawson Robinson, 1st Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment, of Tyne Lodge, Grange Loan, Edinburgh, formerly of Newport, Mon., and inspector of mines in the South Wales district, who saw service with the Montgomery Yeomanry in the South African War, and who was killed in action "somewhere in Flanders" on May 9 last. left unsettled property of the gross value of £765 15s. 10d., with net personalty nil. Probate of his will has been granted to his brother Mr. Hugh Allington Robinson, commission agent of 3, Commercial-street, Newport, Mon."

Masonic :

Joined Isca Lodge from Wear Valley Lodge No 1121, on 19th May 1898.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley