Hamilton Reed

Born in Dublin, he was the son of Sir Andrew Reed, a senior police official. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich,{{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}} and gazetted into the Royal Field Artillery as a second lieutenant on 17 February 1888.{{London Gazette|issue=25790|page=1225|date=24 February 1888}}

Reed was promoted to lieutenant on 17 February 1891, and to captain on 14 September 1898.Hart′s Army list, 1903 Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late 1899, he went to South Africa on active service.{{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}} He took part in the Ladysmith Relief Force, including the Battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899, where he was wounded.

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.{{London Gazette|issue=27160|page=689|date=2 February 1900}}}}

After the end of regular warfare, the war turned into a guerrilla war in late 1900. During the later part of the war, Reed, a divisional adjutant in March 1900,{{London Gazette|issue=27188|page=2757|date=1 May 1900}} served as a staff officer, in the position of deputy assistant adjutant general for intelligence from 12 June 1901.{{London Gazette |issue=27311 |date=7 May 1901 |page=3128}}

The war ended in June 1902. Reed left Cape Town in the SS Dilwara in late July, and arrived in Southampton the following month.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=The Army in South Africa - Return of troops |date=13 August 1902 |page=5 |issue=36845| }} He returned to the Royal Artillery as a regular officer in January 1903.{{London Gazette |issue=27519 |date=27 January 1903 |page=531}} In September 1906 he was seconded for service on the staff{{London Gazette|issue=27954|page=6628|date=2 October 1906}} and made a staff captain at headquarters.{{London Gazette|issue=27954|page=6629|date=2 October 1906}} In August 1907 he succeeded Major William Furse as a general staff officer, grade 2 there.{{London Gazette|issue=28057|page=6095|date=6 September 1907}}

File:East Sheen Cemetery, Major General Hamilton Lyster Reed grave.jpg

In September 1910 he served as a general staff officer, grade 2 (GSO2) and was granted the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel while holding this appointment.{{London Gazette|issue=28422|page=7073|date=7 October 1910}} Reed was a temporary military attaché, for which he was once again promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel,{{London Gazette|issue=28671|page=9482|date=13 December 1912}} with the Turkish Army during the Balkan Wars of 1912–13. In September 1913 he was made a GSO2.{{London Gazette|issue=28759|page=6759|date=26 September 1913}} He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in February 1914, while serving as a GSO2 with Eastern Command.{{London Gazette|issue=28803|page=1373|date=20 February 1914}}

He served with the British Army throughout the First World War,{{cite web|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/rhareed.htm|title=Captain Hamilton Reed VC|publisher=British Empire|accessdate=22 June 2020}} becoming GSO1 of the 27th Division in November 1914.{{London Gazette|issue=29005|page=10661|date=11 December 1914|supp=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=29013|page=10897|date=18 December 1914|supp=y}} In June 1915 he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and became brigadier general, general staff (BGGS) of IX Corps,{{London Gazette|issue=29230|page=6923|date=13 July 1915|supp=y}} which he served with in the Gallipoli campaign. He later received the brevet rank of colonel in March 1916 for his role in the evacuation of Allied forces at Gallipoli from December 1915 to January 1916.{{London Gazette|issue=29507 |date=14 March 1916|page=2873 |supp=y}} In April he was promoted again to temporary brigadier general{{London Gazette|issue=29546|page=3895|date=11 April 1916|supp=y}} and became brigadier general, Royal Artillery of the 40th Division, a command he held until January 1917. In October he became a temporary major general{{London Gazette|issue=30394|page=12112|date=20 November 1917|supp=y}} and became general officer commanding (GOC) 15th (Scottish) Division from 1917 to 1919.

He then received a permanent promotion to major general in June 1919{{London Gazette|issue=31395|page=7421|date=6 June 1919}} and succeeded Major General Sir Philip Robertson as GOC 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division in June 1923,{{London Gazette|issue=32837|page=4431|date=26 June 1923}} a post he held until he retired from the army in June 1928.{{cite web|url=https://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf|title=Army Commands|accessdate=22 June 2020}}{{London Gazette|issue=33393|page=4019|date=12 June 1928}}

He died at the age of 61 in London on 7 March 1931.

His son Andrew was killed in 1940 during the Battle of France whilst serving with the RAF.{{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}}

His medals are part of the Lord Ashcroft collection and are held by the Imperial War Museum, London.{{cite web |url=http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/vvashcr2.htm |title=Lord Ashcroft VC Collection |accessdate=15 January 2013}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• 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)

• [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=Sir Philip Robertson}}

{{s-ttl|title=GOC 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division|years=1923–1927}}

{{s-aft|after=Sir Henry Thuillier}}

{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Hamilton}}

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

Category:People of the Gallipoli campaign