Henry Leader

Henry Peregrine Leader
CB
Born 18 January 1865
Detroit, United States
Died 22 September 1934
Appledorne, Devon, England
Buried at Instow, Devon, England
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1885-1920
Rank Major-General
Unit Suffolk Regiment
6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)
Commands held 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)
1st Scottish Horse
Natal Milita
2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade
1st Indian Cavalry Division
Baluchistan Cavalry Force
Battles/wars Second Boer War
First World War
Third Afghan War
Awards Order of the Bath

Henry Peregrine Leader CB (1865–1934) was a major-general in the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Third Afghan War. He rose in rank to command his regiment the 6th Dragoon Guards, two cavalry brigades and a cavalry division, for which he was invested with the Order of the Bath.

Early life

Henry Peregrine Leader was born on 8 January 1865 in Detroit, United States, the son of Henry Peregrine Leader and Caroline (née Farrar). His father had emigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom and had been an Army officer. Leader was educated in Canada, at Trinity College School, Port Hope and then at Royal Military College at Kingston.[1]

Infantry officer

Leader was commissioned in to the Suffolk Regiment in September 1885 and was promoted on merit to captain in December 1894.[1][2]

Cavalry officer

In January 1896, Leader joined the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), by exchanging with a Captain K.J.R Campbell who went to the Suffolks.[3] For the next two year he carried out the appointment of Superintendent of Gymnasia, for the South East District.[4] Then he was seconded to the General Staff from April 1899,[5] and served in the Cavalry Division with Sir John French, in the Second Boer War.[4] This was followed by promotion to major in July 1900.[6] In 1901 he returned to the 6th Dragoons as the commanding officer, but in February 1902 accepted the command of the 1st Scottish Horse with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel.[7] The 1st Scottish Horse served in Northern Transvaal, and in late February captured a local Boer commandant and his laager at Gruisfontein (mentioned in despatches 25 April 1902[8]). Later in 1902 he was given command of the Natal Militia with the rank of a brevet lieutenant-colonel. In July 1904 he was granted the local rank of brigadier-general while commanding local forces in South-Africa, with the brevet rank of colonel.[9][10] In 1905 he returned to command the 6th Dragoons, until completing his five years in command was put on the half-pay list, with the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1909.[4][11]

Higher command

Leader stayed on the half-pay list until June 1911 when he was appointed to the staff of the 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division, British Indian Army. As a brigade commander once again with the temporary rank of brigadier-general,[12] and given command of the 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade.[13]

In the First World War, Leader took his brigade to the Western Front in France, serving with the 1st Indian Cavalry Division. He was promoted to colonel in February 1915, but retained the temporary rank of brigadier-general.[14] Then in February 1916 he was given command of the 1st Indian Cavalry Division, with the temporary rank of major-general.[15] He relinquished command in 1917, and moved to India as the Inspector of Cavalry. A post he held until the Third Afghan War, when he was given command of the Baluchistan Cavalry Force. He retired from the army in 1920, but remained the Colonel of the Regiment of the 6th Dragoon Guards, an honorary position.[4]

Family life

Leader had married in 1889 in London to Olivia Claudine Thomson, his wife died in 1921.[1]

Death

Henry Peregrine Leader died 22 September 1934, in Devon, England aged 69.[4] Leader and another Army officer, Colonel William Ralph Elliot Harrison, drowned just of Appledore when the yacht owned by Harrison sank. The yacht was overwhelmed by a strong wave and sank, Colonel Harrison's wife Ruth Harrison was picked up by the Appledore lifeboat alive, but the two former Army officers were found floating face-down and attempts on the lifeboat and later on the shore at Appledore failed to revive them.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Major-Gen. Leader." Times [London, England] 24 Sept. 1934: 17. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26606. p. 1470. 12 March 1895. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26701. p. 360. 21 January 1896. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Henry Peregrine Leader". Find a Grave. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27076. p. 2806. 2 May 1899. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27212. p. 4510. 20 July 1900. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27425. p. 2507. 15 April 1902.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27428. p. 2770. 25 April 1902.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27704. p. 5216. 12 August 1904. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27810. p. 4474. 27 June 1905. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28247. p. 3388. 4 May 1909. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28521. p. 5987. 11 August 1911. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28617. p. 4298. 11 June 1912. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29078. p. 1910. 19 February 1915. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29466. p. 1470. 4 February 1916. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "North Devon Yacht Tragedy". The Western Morning News and Daily Gazette. 24 September 1934. p. 3.
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