Portrait of Major General Sir Charles Rosenthal KCB CMG DSO VD.
In 1892 Rosenthal joined the Geelong Battery of the Victorian Militia Garrison Artillery as a gunner, but left the service three years later on moving to Melbourne. In 1903 he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Militia Garrison Artillery. He transferred to the Australian Field Artillery in 1908 where he was promoted as major. In 1914 he became commanding officer of the 5th Field Artillery Brigade. Thus before the war he was established as a soldier as well as a professional architect.[1][3]
British King George V with Major General Charles Rosenthal, inspecting elements of the 2nd Australian Division, 1 December 1918.
Rosenthal joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in August 1914 and sailed with the first convoy as lieutenant-colonel commanding the Australian 3rd Field Artillery Brigade.[4] Rosenthal was at the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. He was twice wounded at Gallipoli, the second wound causing him to be evacuated to England in August 1915. He returned to Egypt when the (AIF) was expanding and given command of the artillery of the new 4th Division and was promoted brigadier general in February 1916. He was engaged in the heavy fighting on the Somme, at Pozières and Mouquet Farm and at Ypres in Belgium. He was wounded a third time in December 1916.[1][3]
On 20 May 1918 Rosenthal was appointed to command the 2nd Division and promoted major general. He took part in the attack at Hamel. He was wounded for a fourth time in 1918 by a sniper when on daylight reconnaissance. He returned to duty in August and was involved in the Battle of Mont St. Quentin.[1][3][5]
Rosenthal went to England in March 1919 to command all the depots of the AIF during the repatriation of the troops. He returned to Australia in January 1920.[1][3]
Rosenthal may have been a part-model for the authoritarian veterans' leader Benjamin Cooley in D. H. Lawrence's novel, Kangaroo (London, 1923).[1] Rosenthal had been founding secretary in 1921 and later president of The King and Empire Alliance, with which Robert Darroch asserts D.H. Lawrence had been in contact, probably through W. J. R. Scott. It has also been alleged that Rosenthal was involved with the Old Guard, a secret anti-communistmilitia, set up by the Bruce government.[7][8]
^Moore, Andrew (2001). "What if Jack Lang had not been dismissed?". NSW Constitution website. NSW Department of Education and Training. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2007. The Old Guard was also linked to the Defence Department. Since the 'Internal Security Scheme' was an expression of the collective wisdom of generals like White, Chauvel, Monash, Lloyd, Heane, Bennett and Rosenthal, it was hardly surprising that senior military men knew where 'loyal and highly influential citizens' could be found if necessary.
