Percy Lake

{{Short description|General in British Army and Canadian Militia}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant-General

| name = Sir Percy Lake

| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=,|KCB|KCMG|size=100%}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1855|06|29}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1940|11|17|1855|06|29}}

| birth_place = Tenby, Wales

| death_place = Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

| image = PercyLake.jpg

| caption = General Sir Percy Lake

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}} / British Empire

| branch = British Army / Indian Army / Canadian Militia

| serviceyears = 1873–1919

| rank = Lieutenant-General

| commands = Chief of the General Staff, Canada
7th (Meerut) Division
Chief of the General Staff, India
Mesopotamian campaign

| battles = Second Anglo-Afghan War
Suakin Expedition
World War I

| awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

| laterwork =

| relations = Richard Stuart Lake (brother)

}}

Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake, {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=,|KCB|KCMG}} (29 June 1855 – 17 November 1940) served as a senior commander in the British and Indian Armies, and in the Canadian Militia. He served during World War I.

Military career

Lake was the son of Lt.-Colonel Percy Godfrey Botfield Lake (1829–1899) and his wife Margaret Phillips of Quebec City. Born at Tenby, Wales, on 29 June 1855, he was brought up in Preston, Lancashire where his father was stationed. He was educated at Preston Grammar School and Uppingham School.[http://www.ww1.pgsassociation.org.uk/html/war_memorial.html Preston Grammar School Association] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121224081501/http://www.ww1.pgsassociation.org.uk/html/war_memorial.html |date=24 December 2012 }}

Lake was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1873,{{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/LAKE.shtml |title=Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives: Percy Lake. Archived copy |publisher=King's College London|accessdate=28 December 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525022957/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/LAKE.shtml |archivedate=25 May 2011}} and promoted to lieutenant on 9 August 1873.{{London Gazette|issue=24247|page=4570|date=21 September 1875}} He fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878–79. He was promoted captain on 31 October 1883 and graduated from Staff College in 1884.{{cite ODNB |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/34376 |title=Lake, Sir Percy Henry Noel |last1=Owen |first1=C. V.|last2=May |first2=Alex |year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34376 |access-date=28 December 2021}} In 1885 he became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General and Quartermaster General during the Suakin Expedition, Sudan.

Returning home, he served as a staff captain at Army Headquarters in 1887 and Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (Intelligence) at Army Headquarters in 1888. He was promoted to major in July 1891{{London Gazette|issue=26178|page=3530|date=3 July 1891}} and went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Dublin District in Ireland in 1892, Quartermaster General for the Canadian Militia in 1893 and, on promotion to lieutenant-colonel,{{London Gazette|issue=27041|page=151|date=10 January 1899}} Assistant Quartermaster General (Intelligence) at Army Headquarters in India in September 1899.{{London Gazette |issue= 27498 |page=7942 |date= 25 November 1902 }} He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 22 August 1902.{{London Gazette|issue=27490|page=6910|date=31 October 1902}}

After that Lake became Chief Staff Officer for 2nd Army Corps in 1904, Chief of the Canadian General Staff in 1905 and Inspector General of the Canadian Militia in 1908, introducing a number of reforms. He was promoted to major general on 23 March 1905,{{London Gazette|issue=27786|page=2975|date=21 April 1905}} and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1905 and Knight Commander (KCMG) in 1908.

Leaving Canada in 1910, he succeeded Lieutenant General Sir James Willcocks as General Officer Commanding 7th (Meerut) Division in India in February 1911{{London Gazette|issue=28482|page=2701|date=4 April 1911}} and Chief of the General Staff in India from 1912, having been promoted lieutenant-general in March 1911.{{London Gazette|issue=28477|page=2321|date=21 March 1911}} In 1913 he was given the colonelcy of the East Lancashire Regiment, which he held until 1920.{{cite web |title=The East Lancashire Regiment |url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/030ELanc.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118172828/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/030ELanc.htm |date=15 July 2000 |archivedate=18 January 2008 |work=Regiments.org |accessdate=5 October 2009 |url-status=dead }} In January 1916 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mesopotamian Force, part of an expeditionary force sent to relieve Sir General Townshend's troops at Kut.[http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/lake.htm Biography of Sir Percy Lake]

After preparing for a fresh campaign, in August 1916 Lake returned to England, and was created Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 1 January 1916.[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29423/supplements/80/page.pdf Supplement to the London Gazette no.29423 p.80 1 January 1916 Retrieved 10 May 2009] He was given a post in the Ministry of Munitions in May 1917.

Later life

Following the war, Lake formally retired on 20 November 1919.{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=31655|supp=y|page=14291|date=24 November 1919}} He returned to Canada and lived in Victoria, British Columbia, where he died on 17 November 1940. He was survived by his wife Hester Fanny ({{nee|Woodyer}}), whom he had married in 1891. They had no children.

Percy Lake

Military career

Later life

References

Further reading