Geoffrey Raikes
Major General Sir Geoffrey Taunton Raikes, CB, DSO & Two Bars (7 April 1884 – 27 March 1975) was a British Army general who achieved high office in the 1930s.
Sir Geoffrey Raikes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 April 1884 |
| Died | 27 March 1975 (aged 90) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1903–1938 1939–1941 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Service number | 11292 |
| Unit | South Wales Borderers |
| Commands held | East Lancashire Area (1940–41) Aldershot Command (1940) 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division (1939–40) 9th Infantry Brigade (1935–37) 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers (1931–34) 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers (1918) |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Two Bars Mentioned in Despatches Croix de Guerre (France) |
Military career
Educated at Radley College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst,[1] Raikes was commissioned into the South Wales Borderers in 1903.[2] He was seconded to the Egyptian Army from 1913 to 1915.[2][1] He served in the First World War and in April 1918 found himself as Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers at Armentières, where the battalion suffered heavy losses.[3]
After the war, Raikes became an Instructor at the Senior Officers School in 1922 before attending the Staff College, Camberley from 1924 to 1925 and moving on to be Chief Instructor of Military History and Tactics at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers in 1931 and then reverted to being an Instructor at the Senior Officers School.[2] He was made commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade in 1935 and then retired in 1938.[2]
During the Second World War, Raikes was recalled to be General Officer Commanding 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division of the Territorial Army (TA).[2]
Raikes was very keen on scouting.[4] He was also Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire from 1948 to 1959.[5]
References
- Smart, p. 260
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- South Wales Borderers
- "Scout Wales" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- "Royal Visits". Hirwaun Historical Society. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
Bibliography
- Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.