Colonel Ronald Charles Maxwell, CB, RE (1852-1924)
/Colonel Ronald Charles Maxwell is commemorated by a stained glass window in the South Quire Transept.
FIELD-MARSHAL SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON'S ADDRESS
The few observations I propose to make before unveiling this window must be prefaced with an expression of regret that the Lord Bishop of the Diocese prevented by severe illness from being present to perform the act of dedication. We all hope and pray, I am sure, that he may soon be restored to health.
Sir Ronald Maxwell, to whose memory the window has been erected by his relatives and friends in the Army, was a good type of the officers of the famous Corps to which he belonged. That is an ambitious claim to make, I know, for the Royal Engineers can boast of a long list of men renowned for their professional achievements, diverse attainments, and devotion to the service of their country and God. The names of Napier, Gordon, and Kitchener, Instantly rise to the mind, and there have been many others who, although less well-known to the general public, proved themelves, in 01vil as well as military capacities, to be men of marked ability and strong character. Still, even with this great record in their possession, the Royal Engineers have ample cause to be proud of the man of whom we are thinking to-day.
Quite early in his career, Ronald Maxwell, gained a high reputation at Chatham for soldierly smartness, strict ('scipline, and efficiency as an instructor, and he exercised a wonderful influence for good, both by precept and example, upon Buccessive batches of young officers whom It was at one time his duty to educate and train.
Later, and as a result of the varied nature of the appointments in the Army which he was called upon to fill, his work extended much beyond the confines of his own Corps, and being invariably of a thorough and painstaking nature, it was equally of benefit to the State whether it took the form of encouraging and guiding & wayward subordinate, or of helping a superior in time of stress.
In connection with the last point we may safely say that the value of the services rendered by Maxwell when sent to France in September 1914 to re-establish and re-organise our shattered lines of communication, can hardly be over-estimated. Armies cannot fight unless properly fed and equipped; there was at the time much hard fighting to be done; and a complete breakdown in the supply services seemed to be in sight. Thanks largely to Maxwell, it was avoided, and I well remember how thankful I was, as Q.M.G. of the B.E.T. in those anxious day, to have the benefit of his assistance.
In the three following years, when he himself was Q.M.G., his work was no less meritorious, while the magnitude of it can be estimated from the fact that the number of men to be supplied increased from 100,000 in 1914 to nearly 2,000,000 In 19/, when he finally laid down the reins of active employment.
Of course, the excellence of the supply arrangements was not due to the efforts of Maxwell alone, as he would be the first to admit, but his share in the work accomplished was a large one, and entitles him to a corresponding share of the credit for the victory ultimately gained in 1918.
There is another, and perhaps more important, side of Ronald Mexwell's life to which, in conclusion, I should refer, for, alter all, a man's real worth is not to be appraised solely by the measure of his military achievements, however brilliant. He may be very eminent in the military sphere and yet not deserve special admiration in other respects. A man's place in the esteem of his fellows mainly depends, as we know, upon the extent to whieh he displays the qualities of selflessness, integrity of purpose, loyalty, and hümility. Ronald Maxwell possessed these qualities to a rather unusual degree, and it is chlefly for them, for his nobility of character, and for the affection he inspired in the minds of those with whom he was aesociated, that those who knew him best will l1ke best to remember him.
His character has been well summarised by one of his Oteff In France, who wrote: "I never heard him say an unkind word of anybody; he never thought of bimself; only of what was beat, or thought we best, for the ultimate good of his country." I cannot improve upon thee simple words, and will end my address with them.
Medals
Afghan War
1879.
Kabul to Kandahar - Bronze Star - Lord Roberts famous March 1880.
South Africa
1900 - 1902.
Queen Victoria's Medal
3 Clasps
King Edward's Medal
2 Clasps
The Great War
1914 - 1918.
1914 Star
King George's Medal
Bronze Medal - Allies
Great War for Civilisation
Queen Victoria' s Diamond Jubilee
King Edward' s Coronation
King George's Coronation
1897
1902
1911
Decorations
Bnel1sh•
C. B.
1902
K. C. B. & Star 1915
K.C.M.G. & Star 1917
Decorations
Foreign
Grand Officier Legion d' Honneur & Star - 1916 - Trance
• (2)
Grand Off1c1er Ordre Merite d' Agriculture- 1917 - France (Missing)
Grand Offic1ex Ordre de la: Couronne#-Stay
• Belgium
(0)
Croix de Guerre - Star -
Belgium
(0)
From the notebooks ‘The Naval and Military Memorials of Rochester Cathedral’ (1979)
by Roy Trett, OBE, TD,
Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library
Seventy-two brilliant stained glass windows were installed by prominent glaziers Clayton & Bell during the 1870s and 1880s.
Rochester Cathedral features an exceptionally large collection of Colonial-era military memorials and artefacts. This series has begun to highlight the stories behind these collections and their place in our global heritage.
