Colonel Charles STONHAM CMG MRCS FRCS, FZS
London Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps

Date of birth: 27th March 1858
Date of death: 31st January 1916

Died aged 57
Commemorated at Golders Green Crematorium
He was born at Maidstone on the 27th of March 1858, the third son of Thomas Goland Stonham, pharmaceutical chemist, and Louisa (nee White) of Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent.

He was educated at the King’s School Canterbury from September 1873 to April 1875 after which he studied medicine at University College and Hospital in London where he became an Aitchison scholar in 1881 and won three Gold Medals and two Silver Medals in medicine, obstetric medicine and surgery. He held all resident posts at the hospital.

In 1881 he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and was made a fellow in 1884. For some years he was senior demonstrator of anatomy at University College and was a curator of the pathological museum there.

In 1887 he became Assistant Surgeon at the Westminster Hospital, full surgeon in 1895 and senior surgeon in 1897. He was a lecturer on surgery and teacher of operative surgery at Westminster and was examiner of surgery at the London Society of Apothecaries and at the Royal University in Ireland. He was also an examiner in anatomy of the Conjoint Board in England.

He was member of the Board of Examiners in Anatomy RCP and RCS and was senior surgeon at Westminster Hospital. For a short time he was a member of the surgical staff at the North West London Hospital and some years later he served for a time as a surgeon at the Poplar Hospital for Accidents.

He joined the Militia as a Surgeon with the Middlesex (Duke of Cambridge's Hussars) Yeomanry and when war broke out in South Africa granted the rank of Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps on the 14th of March 1900 when he was Chief Surgeon and Officer Commanding the Imperial Yeomanry Field Hospital until the 1st of April 1901. He took part in operations in the Orange River Colony from May to June 1900, in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria in July and August 1900 including the action at Zillikat’s Nek returning to the Orange River Colony for operations until October. He saw further action on the Transvaal from November 1900 to April 1901. When he left the service he was granted the rank of Honorary Major on the 2nd of May 1901. He was mentioned in despatches, was awarded the Queen's Medal with four clasps and was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services on the 27th of September 1901.

One incident in South Africa occurred when his field ambulance arrived shortly after the Boer commander De Wet had attacked and captured the Derbyshire Yeomanry. It fell to him to arrange matters with the Boer General and to inform the British high command of the loss.

Between the wars he served as the Medical Officer for the Middlesex Yeomanry and later for the Duke of Cambridge’s Hussars Yeomanry. In 1908 he raised, and was officer commanding, the London Mounted Brigade, Field Ambulance.


He was very frustrated when war came in 1914 and he had expected his unit to be sent to France. Instead his unit of trained men and horses were taken to make up deficiencies elsewhere. He spent the winter of 1914 in East Anglia recruiting to fill the gaps in his ranks.

In 1915 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was promoted to Colonel on the 1st of June 1915 when he was seconded as Consulting Surgeon to the forces in Egypt; he was also appointed as Inspector of Hospitals. He was mentioned in despatches.

He continued to hold the post until he caught dengue and dysentery and went first to Cannes in the South of France and then returned to the UK on sick leave in a very weak state where he died on the 31st of January 1916 at 4 Harley Street in London.

He wrote a number of books, including a 'Manual of Surgery' in three volumes. He also contributed articles to 'Quain?s Dictionary of Medicine' (published by Macmillan in 1900) and contributed an article on brain abscesses to the 'Medical Annual' of 1888. He was a keen mountaineer in his early years and was a member of the Alpine Club.

He was also a keen ornithologist, was a member of the British Ornithologists' Union and was the author of the illustrated work 'British Birds of the British Islands', published by E. G Richards in five volumes between 1906 and 1911. It contained 318 plates by Lilian Medland, who had worked as a nurse for Stonham at Westminster Hospital.

The following obituary was published in 'British Birds':-

"The ranks of British Ornithologists have been further thinned by the death of Charles Stonham... the brigade was duly mobilised at the outbreak of the present war, and in April 1915 Stonham proceeded to Egypt... and contracted the illness from the effects of which he came home to die... As a man, Stonham was a striking personality, tall of figure, lean and saturnine of appearance, of a fearless and outspoken honesty, and the possessor of a biting tongue: he hesitated not to speak of men and things as he found them: of enemies therefore he did not lack, nor did he of very many friends, and those of us who were privileged to know him well, knew him for a man of the kindliest nature, true as steel, and with a heart of pure gold."

He left a widow, Jesse Ethel (nee Murrell), who donated his collection of 230 cases of stuffed British birds and eggs to his school in memory of her husband. It was known as the "Stonham Collection" in his memory and was originally housed in the Chapter House. He also left a daughter.

He was cremated with full military honours at Golders Green Crematorium.
 

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