Major General Frederick Brian Mayes, CB, FRCS (24 August 1934 – 19 December 2019) was a senior British Army officer. He was

Director General A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive (government), executive officer, often the chief executive offi ...

of the Army Medical Services from 1993 to 1996.

Early life

Mayes was born on 24 August 1934 to Harry Frederick Mayes and Constance Enid Mayes. He was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

from 1945 to 1952. He studied at

St Mary's Hospital Medical School St Mary's is the youngest of the constituent schools of Imperial College London, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the most popular medical school in the country, wit ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(MB BS) in 1958.

Military career

On 1 February 1960, as part of National Service, Mayes was commissioned into

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

as a lieutenant. He was given the service number 464204. On 9 March 1960, he transferred to a short service commission in the regular army. He maintained the rank of lieutenant and was given seniority from 14 December 1959. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 14 December 1960. He transferred to a regular commission on 4 March 1964, with seniority in the rank of captain from 14 December 1959. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 14 December 1964. During his early career, he served in

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

, most likely during the Aden Emergency of 1963 to 1967, in East Africa, in West Germany with the British Army of the Rhine and in the United Kingdom. On 14 December 1972, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. In the same year, he was made a

Consultant A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization. Consulting servic ...

in Surgery. He was promoted to colonel on 14 December 1982. From 1984 to 1987, he was

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the British Military Hospital in Hannover. From 1987 to 1988, he was Commanding Officer of Cambridge Military Hospital,

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the villa ...

. He was promoted to brigadier on 19 December 1988. He was then once more posted to West Germany as a Consultant Surgeon attached to HQ BAOR in 1988. He was promoted to major general on 31 December 1990. He was Commander Medical, HQ BAOR from 1990 to 1993. He served as Director General Army Medical Services from 1993 to 1996. He retired from the British Army on 26 May 1996.

Later life

In retirement, Mayes lived in the town of

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, Surrey. He died on 19 December 2019 at the age of 85.

Personal life

In 1962, Mayes married Mary Anna Georgina Roche. Together they had two sons and two daughters. One of their two sons pre-deceased his parents.

Honours and decorations

On 31 December 1990, Mayes was appointed Honorary Surgeon to the Queen (QHS). His tenure expired on 1 April 1996. He was appointed

Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

(CStJ) in December 1993. In the 1995

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

, he was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayes, Frederick 1934 births 2019 deaths British Army major generals Royal Army Medical Corps officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Commanders of the Order of St John Alumni of Imperial College London People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys Alumni of St Mary's Hospital Medical School