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 ...
Hamilton Lyster Reed, , (23 May 1869 – 7 March 1931) was an Irish
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, and recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth forces.
Early life
Born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, he was a grandson of Hamilton Lyster, and a son of
Sir Andrew Reed, a distinguished police official. He was educated at the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and was gazetted into the
Royal Field Artillery as a
second lieutenant on 17 February 1888.
Military career
Reed was promoted to
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 ...
on 17 February 1891, and to
captain on 14 September 1898. Following the outbreak of the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
in late 1899, he went to South Africa for active service.
He took part in the
Ladysmith Relief Force, including the Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899, where he was wounded.
[
]
Details on Victoria Cross
He was 30 years old, and a captain in 7th Battery, Royal Field Artillery during the battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899. The detachments serving the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery, had all been either killed, wounded, or driven from their guns by Infantry fire at close range, and the guns were deserted. His citation mentions the following deed, for which he was awarded the VC:
Boer War
After the end of regular warfare, the war turned into a guerrilla war in late 1900. During the later part of the war, he served as a Staff Officer, in the position of Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General from 12 June 1901.
The War ended in June 1902, with the Treaty of Vereeniging
The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other.
This settlement provided f ...
. Reed left Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in SS ''Dilwara'' in late July, and arrived in Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
the following month.
Further military service
Reed was seconded to the Turkish Army
The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...
during the Balkan Wars served with the 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 ...
throughout the First World War
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 then served as General Officer Commanding, 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division from June 1923 until he retired in June 1927.
He died in London on 7 March 1931.[
]
Family
His son Andrew was killed in the Battle of France whilst serving with the RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
.
The Medal
His Medal is part of the Lord Ashcroft collection.
References
Further reading
* ''The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...
'' (1981, 1988 and 1997)
*
*''Ireland's VCs
List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...
'' (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
*''Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...
'' (David Harvey, 1999)
*''Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross
List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...
'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
External links
Location of grave and VC medal
''(Surrey)''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Hamilton
1869 births
1931 deaths
Burials in England
British Army major generals
19th-century Irish people
Irish officers in the British Army
Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Army generals of World War I
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross
Military personnel from Dublin (city)
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
Royal Artillery officers
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross