Brigadier-General Charles Bertie Prowse, DSO (23 June 1869 – 1 July 1916) was a British Army officer. He joined the militia battalion of Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) Regiment in 1889 and transferred to a regular battalion in 1892. Prowse served in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902 with his regiment and as a staff officer. He was twice mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Lord Roberts and received promotion to captain. Prowse became a major in 1914.
Prowse fought in many of the early actions of the First World War and commanded his battalion in action at Ploegsteert Wood, where a farm was named Prowse Point in his honour. He was mentioned in despatches by General John French on 8 October 1914 and four days later promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He briefly commanded the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) before being promoted to brigadier-general in April 1915 and given command of the 11th Infantry Brigade. Prowse led his brigade in an attack on the first day on the Somme, where he was killed by machine-gun fire.
Early life and career
Charles Bertie Prowse was born in West Monkton near Taunton, Somerset, on 23 June 1869. He was the third son of Captain George James William Prowse, JP, and Emmeline Lucy, daughter of the barrister Thomas Messiter, JP, of Barwick. Prowse attended Cornish's School in Clevedon, Somerset, and then Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
Prowse was appointed a second lieutenant in the 3rd (militia) battalion of Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) Regiment on 18 April 1889. He rose to the rank of lieutenant but dropped back to second lieutenant when he transferred into one of the regular battalions (1st or 2nd) on 12 October 1892. On 11 July 1899 at Northam Parish Church, he married Violet Stanley Scott, the daughter of Colonel Stanley Scott of Cross House in Northam, Devon, an officer in the Bombay Staff Corps. Charles and Violet Prowse had a daughter, Violet Muriel, the next year, and also had a son, Charles Anthony Stanley.
Prowse served in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902, by which time he had regained the rank of lieutenant. He was seconded to the army's railway staff on 16 June 1900 and was mentioned in despatches by Field Marshal Lord Roberts on 8 February and 4 September 1901. During the war he served as a staff officer and was present at the Relief of Ladysmith and at the battles of Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz and the Tugela Heights, serving also in Natal, Transvaal, the Orange River Colony, and the Cape Colony, and receiving the Queen's Medal with five clasps and the King's Medal with two. He was his battalion's adjutant by 14 August 1901 when he was promoted to captain.
On 12 December 1904, Prowse was seconded to his regiment's 1st Volunteer Battalion (a former Volunteer Force battalion) as adjutant, holding that role until 12 December 1909, when he returned to a regular battalion. Prowse was promoted to the rank of major on 21 April 1914.
First World War
Prowse took part in many of the early British actions of the First World War, which broke out in July 1914. A memorial to Prowse in St Mary Magdalene church, in Taunton notes that Prowse fought in the Retreat from Mons, the Battle of Le Cateau, the First Battle of the Marne and the First Battle of Ypres, all in 1914. He commanded the 1st battalion of his regiment in action near Ploegsteert Wood in late 1914 and a farm in that area was named Prowse Point after him. Prowse was mentioned in despatches by General John French on 8 October 1914. He was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel on 12 October 1914, and this was upgraded to brevet rank on 3 November. He was briefly placed in command of the 1st battalion of the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) but in April 1915 was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier-general and given command of the 11th Infantry Brigade. Prowse was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 3 June 1916.