Major-General Sir Reginald Walter Ralph Barnes (13 April 1871 – 19 December 1946) was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer in 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 ...

. He served in several

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s, and commanded a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of the Imperial Yeomanry, the

10th (Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince Al ...

, the 111th Brigade, and three divisions. During his career he served in the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

, 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 Sout ...

and 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 ...

. Becoming a

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typic ...

, and a

Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

. He was also awarded a French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

History

Early life

Reginald Walter Ralph Barnes was born 13 April 1871, at Stoke Canon

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, the son of Prenbendary R H Barnes. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, before in December 1888, becoming a second-lieutenant in the 4th Battalion,

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

, at the time part of the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He 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 sub ...

in September 1889. Then in December 1890 he transferred to the regular army, dropping down a rank to second-lieutenant, when he joined the

4th (Queen's Own) Hussars The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to ...

. He regained his substantive rank of lieutenant in May 1893. In 1894 and again in 1895 Barnes was one of a cabal of subalterns who harassed fellow junior officers into leaving the regiment because they were perceived as not meeting its social or other standards.

Cuban War of Independence and India

His first experience of war came in November 1895, when he was attached as an observer of

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

to the Spanish Army during the

, together with his fellow 4th Hussars officer, a twenty-one-year-old

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. Churchill was an accredited journalist for the

London Daily Graphic ''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latter ...

newspaper, sending them dispatches from the front. But both officers were also under orders from

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 of ...

Edward Chapman, the British Director of Military Intelligence to "collect information and statistics on various points and particularly as to the effect of the new bullet its penetration and striking power". Returning to England Barnes became the regimental

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

, from May 1896 for the next four years. The regiment was stationed in British India in late 1896 and Barnes shared a bungalow with Churchill in Bangalore.

Second Boer War

In 1899, Barnes was seconded as adjutant to the

Imperial Light Horse Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

in South-Africa, and on 31 December 1899 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 ...

. He was present at the Battle of Elandslaagte in October 1899, and in February 1900 at the

Battle of the Tugela Heights The Battle of Tugela (or Thukela) Heights, consisted of a series of military actions lasting from 14 February through to 27 February 1900 in which General Sir Redvers Buller's British army forced Louis Botha's Boer army to lift the Siege of Lady ...

, which was part of the relief of Ladysmith. That was followed by the relief of Mafeking, in May and June 1900. Next were operations in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

around

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, and the battle of Belfast in August. His participation in the war was recognised by being created a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO). As the nature of the war changed into one of attrition, in May 1901, he became a local

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 ...

and second in command of the

17th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

. Only two months later, in July 1901, he was promoted to temporary

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 colonel. ...

and

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

2nd Battalion Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

, serving as such until March 1902, when he returned to an ordinary posting in his regiment. He returned to the United Kingdom by the steamship the same month. As well as his DSO, Barnes was also

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for his service in South Africa.

Between wars

In the post Boer War period, Barnes carried out several non-regimental staff duties. On 1 May 1904, he became the Aide de Camp to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

The Viscount Kitchener in his position as

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

, until January 1906. He then became an instructor at the Cavalry School, until December 1907, when he was promoted to

and transferred to the

17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lanc ...

. He remained with his new regiment until October 1909 and was the employed by as the Assistant Military Secretary to the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Malta

Leslie Rundle General Sir Henry Macleod Leslie Rundle, (6 January 1856 – 19 November 1934) was a British Army general during the Second Boer War and the First World War. Military career Born in Newton Abbot, Devon, to Captain Joseph Sparkhall Rundle, a Roy ...

. That posting lasted until February 1911, when he was promoted to

and given command of the

First World War

On the outbreak of war the 10th Hussars were stationed in South Africa. The regiment sailed for Britain arriving 22 September 1914 and were assigned to the 6th Cavalry Brigade. They then travelled to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

as part of the 3rd Cavalry Division, missing the early stages of the conflict. On 20 November the same year the regiment came under command of the 8th Cavalry Brigade. While under Barnes' command the regiment fought in the First Battle of Ypres and the Second Battle of Ypres, with Barnes reported wounded in December 1914. He was then, in April 1915, promoted to

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and given command of the infantry 116th Brigade, part of the 39th Division. His brigade was formed from the 11th, 12th and 13th Battalions, Royal Sussex Regiment and the 14th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. In 1916 Barnes was invested into the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in June and promoted to temporary major-general in November, giving up command of the brigade. His promotion to substantive major-general came in May 1918; during this time he commanded the 32nd Division, one of Kitchener's new army divisions, and the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division The 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division was an infantry formation of the Territorial Force created in 1914 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It served on the Western Front during 1917 and 1918. The ...

Post war

In the immediate post war period, Barnes was awarded several honours. In January 1919, he was appointed the Colonel of the Regiment to the 4th Hussars. In June he was given command of the Territorial

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...

, and invested as a

. He was also twice awarded the French

. Away from army life he resided at Oakhay Barton, Stoke Canon in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, marrying Gunhilla Wijk, a widow, in 1919. Their son, Second-Lieutenant Reginald Ralph Barnes of the Coldstream Guards, was killed during the

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 countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He finally retired from the army in March 1921. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Devon in August 1927 until his death in 1946. He also became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Notes

References

*Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). ''Order of Battle of the British Army 1914''. Ravi Rikhye. . , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Reginald 1871 births 1946 deaths British Army major generals Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) 10th Royal Hussars officers British Militia officers King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers South African Light Horse officers 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers Imperial Yeomanry officers 17th Lancers officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army cavalry generals of World War I Military personnel from Devon Deputy Lieutenants of Devon English justices of the peace