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

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

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