Vice-Admiral Howard Emerson Reid,
CB (5 June 1897 – 3 May 1962) was a
Royal Canadian Navy officer who served as
Chief of the Naval Staff from 28 February 1946 to 1 September 1947.
Career
Early career
Born in
Portage-du-Fort,
Quebec, Reid was educated at
Ashbury College before entering the
Royal Naval College of Canada
The Royal Naval College of Canada (RNCC) was established by the Department of the Naval Service after the formation of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1910. The college was placed under the auspices of the Minister of Naval Service (and of Marine ...
as a
Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
in 1912. He saw action in various British and Canadian ships during the
First World War.
[Reid, Howard Emerson]
The Nauticapedia He commanded
HMS ''Sepoy'' on the
China Station in 1929. In 1931 he attended the staff course at the
Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He became Commanding Officer of the
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
in 1936, of the destroyer
HMCS ''Fraser'' in 1937 and of the shore establishment
HMCS ''Naden'' in 1938.
[ He went on to be Commanding Officer of HMC Dockyard Halifax in 1938 and Commanding Officer Atlantic Coast in 1939.][
]
World War II
He served in the Second World War as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff from 1940, as Commodore commanding the Newfoundland Escort Force
The Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF) was a Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's count ...
from 1942 and as Naval Member of the Canadian Joint Staff to Washington, D.C. in 1943.
Chief of the Naval Staff
Following the sudden death of Vice-Admiral George Jones, Reid became Chief of the Naval Staff in 1946. In November 1946, he criticised the government's naval policies, leading to a reprimand from Douglas Abbott, the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services. He stepped down as Chief of the Naval Staff in 1947 and retired the following year.
edited by Bernd Horn, Dundurn, 2012, p. 193
Honours
Reid was appointed a 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) in 1944. He was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
by the United States in 1946 and a Commander of the Legion of Honour by the French government in 1947.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Howard
Canadian admirals
1897 births
1962 deaths
Canadian Companions of the Order of the Bath
Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II
Commanders of the Legion of Merit
Commanders of the Legion of Honour
Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy
Canadian military personnel from Quebec
Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich