General Sir Reginald Seaburne May, KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO (10 August 1879 – 26 October 1958) was a British Army officer who served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces.
Sir Reginald May | |
|---|---|
 Gen. Sir Reginald May | |
| Born | 10 August 1879 |
| Died | 26 October 1958 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1898–1939 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 26289[1] |
| Unit | Royal Fusiliers |
| Commands | 49th (West Riding) Division Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) |
Military career
editEducated at Haileybury,[2] May was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 3 August 1898, and promoted to lieutenant on 2 August 1899.[3][4] He served with the 2nd Battalion in the Second Boer War, where he took part in the battles of Colenso (December 1899), engagements at Pieter's Hill, Hussar Hill and Hlangwani and the Relief of Ladysmith (February 1900); and later served in the Western Transvaal under Sir Archibald Hunter.[4] May stayed in South Africa until the end of the war, and returned home on the SS Assaye in September 1902.[5] For his service in the war he was noted for future promotion,[6] which followed the next year when he was promoted to captain on 3 November 1903, with the brevet rank of major from the next day.[7]
May later served in the First World War.[3] After the war he became Director of Movements and then, from 1923, Director of Recruiting and Organisation at the War Office.[3] He was made Brigadier in charge of Administration at Northern Command in 1927 and then General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 49th (West Riding) Division in 1930.[3] He was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1931 and Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1935; he retired in 1939.[3] In retirement he was Chairman of the Toc H Christian movement for ten years.[2] He also served as colonel of the Royal Fusiliers.[8]
Family
editIn 1906 May married Marguerite Geraldine Ramsay Drake and together they had three sons.[2] Then in 1932 he married Jane Monteith.[2]
References
edit- ^ "No. 35243". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 August 1941. p. 4654.
- ^ a b c d Obituary: Sir Reginald May Archived 28 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine The Times, 28 October 1958
- ^ a b c d e "May, Reginald". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ a b Hart′s Army list, 1903
- ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning Home". The Times. No. 36865. London. 5 September 1902. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6901.
- ^ Hart′s Army list, 1908
- ^ "Royal Fusiliers colonels". British Empire. Retrieved 23 January 2016.