Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Hubert Alan John Reay, KBE, FRCP, CStJ (19 March 1925 – 4 February 2012) was a senior

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

. He served as

Director General Army Medical Services Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

between 1981 and 1984.

Early life

Reay was born on 19 March 1925 in

Hednesford Hednesford (pronounced ) is a historic market town in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. Cannock Chase is to the north, the town of Cannock to the south and Rugeley to the southwest.The population at the 2011 census was 1 ...

, Staffordshire. His father, a chaplain, had been awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was educated at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

, then an all-boys public school in the village of

Lancing, West Sussex Lancing is a large coastal village and civil parish in the Adur district of West Sussex, England, on the western edge of the Adur Valley. It occupies part of the narrow central section of the Sussex coastal plain between smaller Sompting to the ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating in 1948 with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) degrees.

Military career

On 23 October 1949, as part of

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, Reay was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He was promoted to captain on 23 October 1950. On 23 November 1949, he transferred from the National Service List to the regular army on a short service commission. His first posting was as a Regimental Medical Officer attached to 1st Battalion,

The Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

in the Federation of Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. By April 1952, he was a temporary major. He transferred to a regular commission on 26 November 1952 in the rank of captain. He was promoted to substantive major on 23 October 1957. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 23 October 1962. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on 23 October 1972. He was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

on 14 July 1976. On 4 July 1977, he was appointed Commandant and Postgraduate Dean of the

Royal Army Medical College The Royal Army Medical College (RAMC) was located on a site south of the Tate Gallery (now known as Tate Britain) on Millbank, in Westminster, London, overlooking the River Thames. The college moved from the site in 1999 and the buildings are no ...

and was granted the local rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. He was promoted to substantive major general on 1 August 1977. In 1979, he was appointed Director of Medical Services

BAOR There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 7 April 1981 with seniority from 7 November 1980. He served as

from 1981 to 1984. He retired from the

on 25 February 1985.

Later life

Reay served as chairman of Lambeth health care

NHS trust An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...

between 1992 and 1997. He died on 4 February 2012, aged 86. His funeral was held at St Mary's Church,

Barnes, London Barnes () is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred west south ...

on 24 February. He was buried at East Sheen Cemetery.

Personal life

In 1960, Reay married Ferelith Deane. Together they had three sons and two daughters. One of their sons predeceased him. Lady Reay died on 16 December 2016.

Honours and decorations

On 4 April 1952, it was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

that Reay had been Mentioned in Despatches "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Malaya, during the period 1st July to 31st December, 1951". He was appointed Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John (OStJ) in December 1980, and promoted to Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John (CStJ) in May 1981. In the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). Having been appointed Honorary Physician to the Queen (QHP) on 3 January 1976, he was succeeded in the appointment on 25 February 1985. On 5 May 1986, he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 217 (London) General Hospital Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers), a Territorial Army unit. His tenure expired on 19 March 1990.

References

External links

Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reay, Alan 1925 births 2012 deaths People educated at Lancing College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Royal Army Medical Corps officers Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of St John British Army generals British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency People from Hednesford Military personnel from Staffordshire