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Percy Lake

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For the lake in Ontario, see Percy Lake (Ontario).

Lieutenant-General

Sir Percy Lake

KCB, KCMG
General Sir Percy Lake
Born(1855-06-29)29 June 1855
Tenby, Wales
Died17 November 1940(1940-11-17) (aged 85)
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Allegiance United Kingdom / British Empire
Service / branchBritish Army / Indian Army / Canadian Militia
Years of service1873–1919
RankLieutenant-General
CommandsChief of the General Staff, Canada
7th (Meerut) Division
Chief of the General Staff, India
Mesopotamian campaign
Battles / warsSecond Anglo-Afghan War
Suakin Expedition
World War I
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
RelationsRichard Stuart Lake (brother)

Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake, KCB, KCMG (29 June 1855 – 17 November 1940) served as a senior commander in the British and Indian Armies, and in the Canadian Militia. He served during World War I.

Career

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Lake was the son of Lt.-Colonel Percy Godfrey Botfield Lake (1829–1899) and his wife Margaret Phillips of Quebec City. Born at Tenby, Wales, on 29 June 1855,[1] he was brought up in Preston, Lancashire where his father was stationed. He was educated at Preston Grammar School and Uppingham School.[2]

Lake was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1873,[3] and promoted to lieutenant on 9 August 1873.[4] He fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878–79.[3] He was promoted captain on 31 October 1883 and graduated from Staff College in 1884.[1] In 1885 he became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General and Quartermaster General during the Suakin Expedition, Sudan.[1]

Returning home, he served as Staff Captain at Army Headquarters in 1887 and Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (Intelligence) at Army Headquarters in 1888. He went on to be Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Dublin District in Ireland in 1892, Quartermaster General for the Canadian Militia in 1893[3] and, on promotion to lieutenant-colonel,[5] Assistant Quartermaster General (Intelligence) at Army Headquarters in India in September 1899.[6] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 22 August 1902.[7]

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,[3] introducing a number of reforms. He was promoted major-general on 23 March 1905, and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1905 and Knight Commander (KCMG) in 1908.[1]

Leaving Canada in 1910, he became General Officer Commanding 7th (Meerut) Division in India in 1911 and Chief of the General Staff in India from 1912,[3] having been promoted lieutenant-general in March 1911.[8] In 1913 he was given the colonelcy of the East Lancashire Regiment, which he held until 1920.[9] In January 1916 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mesopotamian Force, part of an expeditionary force sent to relieve Sir General Townshend's troops at Kut.[10]

After preparing for a fresh campaign, in August 1916 Lake returned to England,[1] and was created Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 1 January 1916.[11] He was given a post in the Ministry of Munitions in May 1917.[1]

Later life

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Following the war, Lake formally retired on 20 November 1919.[12] He returned to Canada and lived in Victoria, British Columbia, where he died on 17 November 1940. He was survived by his wife Hester Fanny (née Woodyer), whom he had married in 1891. They had no children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Owen, C. V.; May, Alex (2004). "Lake, Sir Percy Henry Noel". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34376. Retrieved 28 December 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Preston Grammar School Association Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today
  3. ^ a b c d e "Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives: Percy Lake. Archived copy". King's College London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. ^ "No. 24247". The London Gazette. 21 September 1875. p. 4570.
  5. ^ "No. 27041". The London Gazette. 10 January 1899. p. 151.
  6. ^ "No. 27498". The London Gazette. 25 November 1902. p. 7942.
  7. ^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6910.
  8. ^ "No. 28477". The London Gazette. 21 March 1911. p. 2321.
  9. ^ "The East Lancashire Regiment". Regiments.org. 15 July 2000. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  10. ^ Biography of Sir Percy Lake
  11. ^ Supplement to the London Gazette no.29423 p.80 1 January 1916 Retrieved 10 May 2009
  12. ^ "No. 31655". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1919. p. 14291.

Further reading

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  • Barker, A. J., The First Iraq War, 1914–1918: Britain's Mesopotamian Campaign (New York: Enigma Books, 2009), ISBN 978-1-929631-86-5
Military offices
Preceded byas General Officer Commanding the Forces (Canada) Chief of the General Staff (Canada)
1904–1908 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the General Staff (India)
1912–1916 		Succeeded by
Non-profit organization positions
New creation President of the Royal Canadian Legion
1925–1928 		Succeeded by
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