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{{short description|British Army general and recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
⚫
'''Hamilton Lyster Reed''' (VC, CB, CMG, Legion of Honor, 3rd Class (USA), Croix de Guerre (France)) was an [[Irish]] recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to [[British]] and [[Commonwealth]] forces.
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Hamilton Reed
|birth_date=23 May 1869
|death_date=7 March 1931 (aged 61)
|birth_place=[[Dublin]], Ireland
|death_place=[[South Kensington]], London
|placeofburial=[[East Sheen Cemetery]]
|image=Captain Hamilton Reed VC, Royal Field Artillery.jpg
|image_size=180
|caption=Reed depicted on a [[cigarette card]]
|nickname=
|allegiance= {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
|serviceyears=1888 – 1927
|rank=[[Major General]]
|branch=[[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[British Army]]
|commands=[[15th (Scottish) Division]]<br>[[52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division|52nd (Lowland) Division]]
|unit= [[Royal Artillery]]
|battles=[[Second Boer War]]<br>[[First World War]]
|awards= [[File:UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar.svg|30px]] [[Victoria Cross]]<br>[[Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Order of St Michael and St George]]<br>[[Legion of Honour]] (France)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31465 |date=18 July 1919 |page=9219 |supp=y}}</ref><br>[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (France)
|laterwork=
|relations=Sir [[Andrew Reed (police officer)|Andrew Reed]] (father)<br>[[Harry Hammon Lyster]] VC (uncle)
}}
[[File:Hamilton Reed VC IWM Q 2113.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Group portrait including Reed (centre)]]
⚫
[[Major General]] '''Hamilton Lyster Reed''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|sep=,|size=100%|VC|CB|CMG}}, (23 May 1869 – 7 March 1931) was an Irish [[British Army]] officer, and recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces.


==Details==
== Early life ==
Born in [[Dublin]], he was the son of [[Andrew Reed (police officer)|Sir Andrew Reed]], a senior police official. He was educated at the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]],<ref name=TIWW>{{cite web|title=Reed, Major-General Hamilton Lyster|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Thom%27s_Irish_Who%27s_Who/Reed,_Major-General_Hamilton_Lyster |website=Thom's Irish Who's who|year=1923 |accessdate=4 November 2024}}</ref> and gazetted into the [[Royal Field Artillery]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on 17 February 1888.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25790|page=1225|date=24 February 1888}}</ref>


==Military career==
He was 30 years old, and a [[Captain]] in the 7th Bty., [[Royal Field Artillery]], [[British Army]] during the [[South African War (Boer War)]] when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
Reed was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 17 February 1891, and to [[Captain (BARM)|captain]] on 14 September 1898.<ref>Hart′s Army list, 1903</ref> Following the outbreak of the [[Second Boer War]] in late 1899, he went to South Africa on active service.<ref name="ABW">{{cite web | url=http://www.angloboerwar.com/medals-and-awards/12-victoria-cross/225-reed-hamilton-lyster | title=Anglo Boer War.com | accessdate=17 January 2013}}</ref> He took part in the [[Relief of Ladysmith|Ladysmith Relief Force]], including the [[Battle of Colenso]] on 15 December 1899, where he was wounded.<ref name=vc/>


===Details on Victoria Cross===
On [[15 December]] [[1899]] at the [[Battle of Colenso]], [[South Africa]], when so many horses had become casualties, Captain Reed brought three teams from his battery in an attempt to save the remaining guns. The shell and rifle fire was intense and he was wounded almost at once, as were five of the 13 men who rode with him. One was killed and 13 horses (including his own) out of 21 were killed before he got half way to the guns, and he was forced to retire.
He was a 30 years old 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:
{{quote|Captain Reed, who had heard of the difficulty, shortly afterwards brought down three teams from his battery to see if he could be of any use. He was wounded, as were five of the thirteen men who rode with him, one was killed; and thirteen out of twenty-one horses were killed before he got half-way to the guns, and he was obliged to retire.<ref name=vc>{{London Gazette|issue=27160|page=689|date=2 February 1900}}</ref>}}


==Further information==
==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, Reed served as a Staff Officer, in the position of Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General for Intelligence from 12 June 1901.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27311 |date=7 May 1901 |page=3128}}</ref>


The War ended in June 1902. Reed left [[Cape Town]] in the SS ''Dilwara'' in late July, and arrived in [[Southampton]] the following month.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Army in South Africa - Return of troops |date=13 August 1902 |page=5 |issue=36845| }}</ref> He returned to the Royal Artillery as a regular officer in January 1903.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27519 |date=27 January 1903 |page=531}}</ref>
Nephew of Lieutenant [[H.H. Lyster]], VC.<br>
Served in the First World War. He later achieved the rank of [[Major General]].


==Further military service==
⚫
==The medal==
[[File:East Sheen Cemetery, Major General Hamilton Lyster Reed grave.jpg|thumb|East Sheen Cemetery]]
Reed was a [[Military Attaché]] with the [[Turkish Army]] during the [[Balkan Wars]] of 1912–13.<ref name=TIWW/> He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in February 1914, while serving as a GSO2 with [[Eastern Command (United Kingdom)|Eastern Command]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28803|page=1373|date=20 February 1914}}</ref>


He served with the [[British Army]] throughout the [[World War I|First World War]],<ref name=empire>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/rhareed.htm|title=Captain Hamilton Reed VC|publisher=British Empire|accessdate=22 June 2020}}</ref> receiving the [[Brevet (military)|Brevet]] of Colonel in 1916 for his role in the evacuation of [[Gallipoli campaign|Gallipoli]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29507 |date=14 March 1916|page=2873 |supp=y}}</ref> He became a temporary major general and [[General officer commanding|General Officer Commanding]], [[15th (Scottish) Division]] from 1917 to 1919.<ref name=TIWW/>
''please update if you know where his medal is publicly displayed''

He then received a permanent promotion to major general in June 1919<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31395|page=7421|date=6 June 1919}}</ref> and served as General Officer Commanding, [[52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division]] from June 1923 until he retired in June 1927.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf|title=Army Commands|accessdate=22 June 2020}}</ref>

He died in London on 7 March 1931.<ref name=empire/>

==Family==
His son Andrew was killed in 1940 during the [[Battle of France]] whilst serving with the [[RAF]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2939994 |title=Reed, Andrew Patrick|publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission|accessdate=22 June 2020}}</ref>

⚫
==The medal==
His medals are part of the [[Michael Ashcroft|Lord Ashcroft]] collection and are held by the [[Imperial War Museum]], London.<ref name="VC.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/vvashcr2.htm |title=Lord Ashcroft VC Collection |accessdate=15 January 2013}}</ref>


==Reference==
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
⚫
*[[Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross]] (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
⚫
*[[Monuments To Courage]] (David Harvey, 1999)
⚫
*[[The Register of the Victoria Cross]] (This England, 1997)
*[[Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War]] (Ian Uys, 2000)


==See also==
==Further reading==
⚫
* ''[[The Register of the Victoria Cross]]'' (1981, 1988 and 1997)
*{{cite journal|first=Brian D. H.|last=Clarke|title=A register of awards to Irish-born officers and men|journal=[[The Irish Sword]]|volume=XVI|issue=64|pages=185–287|year=1986}}
*''[[Ireland's VCs]]'' {{ISBN|1-899243-00-3}} (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
⚫
*''[[Monuments to Courage]]'' (David Harvey, 1999)
⚫
*''[[Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross]]'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)


==External links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/surrey.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''(Surrey)''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041204085907/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/surrey.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''(Surrey)''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100323020620/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/victoria_cross_holders_buried_in_the_borough/hamilton_lyster_reed.htm London Borough of Richmond]
* {{cite TIWW |article= Reed, Major-General Hamilton Lyster|page= 216}}


{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Philip Robertson (British Army officer)|Sir Philip Robertson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division|GOC 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division]]|years=1923–1927}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Henry Fleetwood Thuillier|Sir Henry Thuillier]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Hamilton}}
This page has been [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Victoria Cross Reference Migration|migrated]] from the [http://www.victoriacross.net Victoria Cross Reference] '''with permission.'''
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1931 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army major generals]]
[[Category:19th-century Irish people]]
[[Category:Irish officers in the British Army]]
[[Category:Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:British Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)]]
[[Category:Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross]]

Latest revision as of 16:08, 1 December 2024

Hamilton Reed
Reed depicted on a cigarette card
Born23 May 1869
Dublin, Ireland
Died7 March 1931 (aged 61)
South Kensington, London
Buried
East Sheen Cemetery
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1888 – 1927
RankMajor General
UnitRoyal Artillery
Commands15th (Scottish) Division
52nd (Lowland) Division
Battles / warsSecond Boer War
First World War
Awards Victoria Cross
Order of the Bath
Order of St Michael and St George
Legion of Honour (France)[1]
Croix de Guerre (France)
RelationsSir Andrew Reed (father)
Harry Hammon Lyster VC (uncle)
Group portrait including Reed (centre)

Major General Hamilton Lyster Reed, VC, CB, CMG, (23 May 1869 – 7 March 1931) was an Irish British Army officer, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, 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

[edit]

Born in Dublin, he was the son of Sir Andrew Reed, a senior police official. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich,[2] and gazetted into the Royal Field Artillery as a second lieutenant on 17 February 1888.[3]

Military career

[edit]

Reed was promoted to lieutenant on 17 February 1891, and to captain on 14 September 1898.[4] Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late 1899, he went to South Africa on active service.[5] He took part in the Ladysmith Relief Force, including the Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899, where he was wounded.[6]

Details on Victoria Cross

[edit]

He was a 30 years old 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:

Captain Reed, who had heard of the difficulty, shortly afterwards brought down three teams from his battery to see if he could be of any use. He was wounded, as were five of the thirteen men who rode with him, one was killed; and thirteen out of twenty-one horses were killed before he got half-way to the guns, and he was obliged to retire.[6]

Boer War

[edit]

After the end of regular warfare, the war turned into a guerrilla war in late 1900. During the later part of the war, Reed served as a Staff Officer, in the position of Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General for Intelligence from 12 June 1901.[7]

The War ended in June 1902. Reed left Cape Town in the SS Dilwara in late July, and arrived in Southampton the following month.[8] He returned to the Royal Artillery as a regular officer in January 1903.[9]

Further military service

[edit]
East Sheen Cemetery

Reed was a Military Attaché with the Turkish Army during the Balkan Wars of 1912–13.[2] He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in February 1914, while serving as a GSO2 with Eastern Command.[10]

He served with the British Army throughout the First World War,[11] receiving the Brevet of Colonel in 1916 for his role in the evacuation of Gallipoli.[12] He became a temporary major general and General Officer Commanding, 15th (Scottish) Division from 1917 to 1919.[2]

He then received a permanent promotion to major general in June 1919[13] and served as General Officer Commanding, 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division from June 1923 until he retired in June 1927.[14]

He died in London on 7 March 1931.[11]

Family

[edit]

His son Andrew was killed in 1940 during the Battle of France whilst serving with the RAF.[15]

The medal

[edit]

His medals are part of the Lord Ashcroft collection and are held by the Imperial War Museum, London.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "No. 31465". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 July 1919. p. 9219.
  2. ^ a b c "Reed, Major-General Hamilton Lyster". Thom's Irish Who's who. 1923. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  3. ^ "No. 25790". The London Gazette. 24 February 1888. p. 1225.
  4. ^ Hart′s Army list, 1903
  5. ^ "Anglo Boer War.com". Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b "No. 27160". The London Gazette. 2 February 1900. p. 689.
  7. ^ "No. 27311". The London Gazette. 7 May 1901. p. 3128.
  8. ^ "The Army in South Africa - Return of troops". The Times. No. 36845. London. 13 August 1902. p. 5.
  9. ^ "No. 27519". The London Gazette. 27 January 1903. p. 531.
  10. ^ "No. 28803". The London Gazette. 20 February 1914. p. 1373.
  11. ^ a b "Captain Hamilton Reed VC". British Empire. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  12. ^ "No. 29507". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 March 1916. p. 2873.
  13. ^ "No. 31395". The London Gazette. 6 June 1919. p. 7421.
  14. ^ "Army Commands" (PDF). Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Reed, Andrew Patrick". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Lord Ashcroft VC Collection". Retrieved 15 January 2013.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by GOC 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
1923–1927 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Hamilton_Reed&oldid=1260587613"