Raymond Reade

Template:Short description Major General Raymond Northland Revell Reade, (c. 1861 – 18 October 1943) was a British Army general and Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada.

Background

Born in Chelsea, London, he was the son of John Page Reade and his wife Lady Mary Stuart Knox, daughter of Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly. He was educated at Eton College and went to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Military career

File:Major General Raymond Northland Revell Reade.jpg

Reade as a young officer.

Reade was commissioned into the 85th Regiment of Foot on 14 January 1880. He was promoted to captain in October 1887.

After serving as a temporary major in West Africa, he served as commandant of Royal Military College of Canada from 1901 to 1905. His criticism of poor RMC examination marks in French, physics and chemistry in 1901 and surveying and physics 1904 led to reforms at the college: smaller classes for French, entrance tests in physics and chemistry, and separate instructors for physics and surveying. He also built up the RMC library and extended library privileges to Permanent Force Officers in the Kingston, Ontario, area. A 25-bed hospital was also constructed adjacent to the education block, and a large gymnasium was constructed south of the Stone Frigate. He secured quarters for the staff-adjutant and his family in what was later called Panet House, after the first resident. He built an extension to the rear of the Stone Frigate for bathroom facilities.

Reade, promoted to colonel in February 1907, became an assistant adjutant and quartermaster general in October, served in Malta and Scotland and, after being promoted to major general in July 1912, became general officer commanding the Troops in the Straits Settlements in 1914.

Poor health prevented his active service in the First World War, but he commanded the 59th (2nd North Midland) Division from November 1915 to February 1916, and the 68th (2nd Welsh) Division for most of 1916 while the formation was under training in the UK. He was the British representative on the Inter-Allied Military Mission to Greece in 1918, for which he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Order of George I and awarded the Medal of Military Merit, 1st Class from Greece.

He retired from the army in March 1920. He was colonel of his old regiment, the KSLI, from January 1921 until February 1931, taking over from Lieutenant General Sir Charles Edmond Knox.

Family

Reade married Rose Frances Spencer, daughter of Colonel Almeric George Spencer and Alice Isabel Fraser, on 9 June 1894.