Percy Lake

Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake KCB KCMG (29 June 1855 – 17 November 1940) was a senior commander of the British Indian Army, serving during World War I, and a Canadian soldier.

Sir Percy Lake
General Sir Percy Lake
Born	29 June 1855 Preston, Lancashire, England
Died	17 November 1940 (aged 85) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Allegiance	United Kingdom / British Empire
Service/branch	British Army / Canadian Army
Years of service	1873–1917
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands held	Chief of the General Staff, Canada 7th Indian Division Chief of the General Staff, India Mesopotamian campaign
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Afghan War Mahdist War World War I
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Relations	Richard Stuart Lake (brother)

Career

Lake was born at Fulwood Barracks, Preston, Lancashire on 29 June 1855, where his father was stationed. He was the son of Lt.-Colonel Percy Godfrey Botfield Lake (1829–1899) and his wife Margaret Phillips of Quebec City. He was educated at Preston Grammar School and Uppingham School.[1]

Lake was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1873.[2] He fought on the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878 and in Sudan in 1885.[2] He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 August 1873.[3]

He became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General and Quartermaster General in Egypt in 1885, Staff Captain at Army Headquarters in 1887 and Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (Intelligence) at Army Headquarters in 1888.[2] He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Dublin District in Ireland in 1892, Quartermaster General for the Canadian Militia in 1893 and Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters in 1899.[2] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 22 August 1902.[4]

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.[2]

He then became General Officer Commanding 7th Indian Division in India in 1911 and Chief of the General Staff in India from 1912.[2] In January 1916 he was appointed Commander of the Mesopotamian Force, as part of an expeditionary force sent to relieve Sir Charles Townshend's troops at Kut.[5] In 1913 he was given the colonelcy of the East Lancashire Regiment, which he held until 1920.[6]

He was created Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 1 January 1916.[7]

Later life

Following the war he formally retired on 20 November 1919.[8] He died on 17 November 1940 in Victoria, British Columbia.[1]

References

1. Preston Grammar School Association Archived 24 December 2012 at Archive.today
2. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
3. "No. 24247". The London Gazette. 21 September 1875. p. 4570.
4. "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6910.
5. Biography of Sir Percy Lake
6. "The East Lancashire Regiment". Regiments.org. 15 July 2000. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
7. Supplement to the London Gazette no.29423 p.80 1 January 1916 Retrieved on 10 May 2009
8. "No. 31655". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1919. p. 14291.

Further reading

Barker, A. J., The First Iraq War, 1914–1918: Britain's Mesopotamian Campaign (New York: Enigma Books, 2009), ISBN 978-1-929631-86-5