Reginald May

Sir Reginald May
Sir Reginald May
	Gen. Sir Reginald May
Born	10 August 1879
Died	26 October 1958 (aged 79)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1898–1939
Rank	General
Commands held	49th (West Riding) Division; RMC 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

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.

Military career

Educated at Haileybury,[1] May was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers as a second lieutenant on 3 August 1898, and promoted to lieutenant on 2 August 1899.[2][3] 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.[3] May stayed in South Africa until the end of the war, and returned home on the SS Assaye in September 1902.[4] For his service in the war he was noted for future promotion,[5] 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.[6]

He later served in the First World War.[2] After the war he became Director of Movements and then, from 1923, Director of Recruiting and Organisation at the War Office.[2] He was made Brigadier in charge of Administration at Northern Command in 1927 and then Commander 49th (West Riding) Division in 1930.[2] He was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst in 1931 and Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1935; he retired in 1939.[2] In retirement he was Chairman of the Toc H Christian movement for 10 years.[1] He also served as colonel of the Royal Fusiliers.[7]

Family

In 1906 he married Marguerite Geraldine Ramsay Drake and together they went on to have three sons.[1] Then in 1932 he married Jane Monteith.[1]

References

Obituary: Sir Reginald May The Times, 28 October 1958
"May, Reginald". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
Hart′s Army list, 1903
"The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home". The Times (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.

Military offices
Preceded by Neville Cameron	GOC 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division 1930–1931	Succeeded by George Jackson
Preceded by Eric Girdwood	Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst 1931–1934	Succeeded by Bertie Fisher
Preceded by Sir Felix Ready	Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1935–1939	Succeeded by Sir Walter Venning
Preceded by Reginald Howlett	Colonel of the Royal Fusiliers 1942–1947	Succeeded by James Harter

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[times-1] Obituary: Sir Reginald May The Times, 28 October 1958

[lh-2] "May, Reginald". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Retrieved 14 June 2020.

[Hart-3] Hart′s Army list, 1903

[4] "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home". The Times (36865). London. 5 September 1902. p. 6.

[5] "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6901.

[6] Hart′s Army list, 1908

[7] "Royal Fusiliers colonels". British Empire. Retrieved 23 January 2016.