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Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet

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Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet
Wake as a young captain of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, between 1902 and 1914
Born (1876-02-11)February 11, 1876[1]
Died 4 August 1963(1963-08-04) (aged 87)
Place of birth London, England
Place of death Winchester, Hampshire, England
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1876–1937
Rank Major General
Unit King's Royal Rifle Corps
Commands held 46th (North Midland) Division (1934–37)
12th Infantry Brigade (1929–32)
4th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (1920–23)
Battles/wars Second Boer War
First World War
Awards Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Major General Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Baronet, CB CMG DSO (11 February 1876 – 4 August 1963) was a British Army officer. Born into an historic noble family, he joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) as a second lieutenant in 1897. He served on the staff during the Second Boer War, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. During the First World War, he served again as a staff officer, reaching the temporary rank of brigadier general. After the war, Wake commanded the 4th battalion, KRRC, in British India, and was aide-de-camp to George V. He commanded the 12th Infantry Brigade and after his promotion to major general, the 46th (North Midland) Division.

Wake retired from the army in 1937 but maintained links, being appointed colonel commandant of the KRRC, and later chairing the Northamptonshire Territorial Army Association. During the Second World War, he commanded the county's Local Defence Volunteers, and was colonel-commandant of the 1st battalion of the Northamptonshire Army Cadet Force. He also held non-military roles as a Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. He had an interest in history, and was a member of the Northamptonshire Record Society, while he campaigned for the restoration of abandoned ironstone quarries in the county.

Early life[]

Hereward Wake was born in 1876, the eldest son of Sir Hereward Wake, 12th Baronet.[2] The Wake family, owners of the manor of Courteenhall since 1672, claim descent from the Anglo-Saxon noble, Hereward the Wake, who led opposition in East Anglia to the 1066 Norman invasion.[3][4] However, this may have been an attempt to improve the family's provenance in the 14th century, and it seems more likely the Wakes were descended from a 12th-century Norman immigrant.[4] Hereward Wake inherited the baronetcy upon his father's death in 1916.[5]

Military career[]

King's Royal Rifle Corps by Harry Payne

An officer and corporal of the King's Royal Rifle Corps c. 1895–1914

Wake attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and after graduating, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) on 17 March 1897.[6] He was seconded to the staff on 13 March 1900, by which time he had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant.[7] Wake served during the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and received the Distinguished Service Order in 1901 for his contributions.[8] Wake was appointed to the supernumerary rank of captain before 6 December 1902 and was appointed adjutant on 27 June 1903.[9][10] He was awarded the regimental rank of captain on 22 December 1908 at the same time he joined the Naval War Course for training.[11][12]

By 1914 Wake held the rank of major and, after the outbreak of the First World War, held a position at the War Office.[5] He became a 2nd grade general staff officer on 1 February 1916, and a 1st grade staff officer on 1 March 1916, at which time he also received the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel.[13][14] Wake was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier-general in 1917.[5] For his service during the war, Wake received the French Legion of Honour and the Order of the Crown of Italy in 1919.[15] In addition, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, with the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel.[16] After the war he maintained a link with army veterans, from 1922 he was the first president of the Roade and Courteenhall Branch of The Royal British Legion and presented them with a wooden hut to host their meetings.[17]

Wake commanded 4th Battalion, KRRC in British India from 1920 to 1923,[5] was appointed an aide-de-camp to George V on 5 December 1930, then promoted to major-general on 23 May 1932.[18][19] He commanded the 12th Infantry Brigade until placed on half pay on 23 August 1932,[20][21][22] returning to service on 1 April 1934 as commander of the Territorial Army's 46th (North Midland) Division.[23] Retiring from the army on 11 February 1937,[24][25] on 20 January 1938, he became colonel commandant of the KRRC, an honorary and ceremonial role.[26]

During the Second World War, Wake chaired the Northamptonshire Territorial Army Association and commanded the Northamptonshire Local Defence Volunteers.[27] On 5 May 1942, he was the first Colonel-commandant of 1st battalion, Northamptonshire Army Cadet Force, now A Company, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Army Cadet Force.[28] He co-authored Swift and Bold, a history of the KRRC in the Second World War, published in 1949.[29]

Personal life and other interests[]

Courteenhall House Fete 2008-06-08

Courteenhall House

Wake married Margaret Winifred Benson, the daughter of banker and art collector Robin Benson, at St George's Hanover Square Church, Westminster, on 30 October 1912.[30] The Wakes lived at the ancestral home, Courteenhall House.[31] They had seven children, including Hereward Wake who also served in the KRRC, and inherited the baronetcy.[32] One of their daughters, Diana Wake, was killed in a riding accident at Bicester Hunt Races on 11 March 1950.[33]

Wake was appointed as a deputy lieutenant for Northamptonshire on 29 July 1922.[34] He was nominated for the position of High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in November 1925 and 1938,[31][35] before holding the position in 1944.[36]

Wake had a keen interest in history and was an early member of the Northamptonshire Record Society, founded by his sister Joan Wake in 1920.[2] During his time at the war department he recognised the historic importance of some of its buildings and was responsible for handing over the keep of Dover Castle, previously used as a rifle store and at risk of fire damage, to the Office of Works for preservation.[37] Wake owned a 1599 painting of Drue Drury.[38]

Slipton- former ironstone quarry and railway (geograph 3014474)

Site of a former ironstone quarry, Slipton, Northamptonshire

Wake also played a key role in highlighting the damage caused to Northamptonshire by ironstone workings. He chaired a sub-committee on the issue for the county's branch of the Country Landowners Association and was a member of the Northamptonshire County Planning Committee. Wake opposed the findings of the Kennet Committee which recommended against any action to restore the workings. He played a role in persuading government to pass an act, proposed by Hugh Dalton, to mandate the restoration of all current ironstone workings and several thousand acres of former workings. In later life he lived in Hampshire but continued to monitor the progress of restoration on visits to Northamptonshire. Wake died on 4 August 1963.[2]

References[]

  1. ↑ "WO 76/288/12: Hereward Wake. Regiment: Rifle Brigade. Date of Service: 1897". https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13278812. Retrieved 25 June 2020. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Northamptonshire Record Society (1963). "Obituary". p. 168. http://www.northamptonshirerecordsociety.org.uk/eNpp/NppNo16_e.pdf. 
  3. ↑ "Parishes: Courteenhall". Victoria County History (1937). https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol4/pp242-246. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lord Raglan (2013) (in en). The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama. Courier Corporation. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-486-31714-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=hP3DAgAAQBAJ. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Gilbert, Martin (2015) (in en). Winston S. Churchill: The Challenge of War, 1914–1916. Rosetta Books. p. 108 (appendix ii). ISBN 978-0-7953-4451-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=n2hsDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA108. 
  6. ↑ "No. 26832". 16 March 1897. p. 1532. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26832/page/1532 
  7. ↑ "No. 27198". 1 June 1900. p. 3499. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27198/page/3499 
  8. ↑ "No. 27306". 19 April 1901. p. 2701. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27306/page/2701 
  9. ↑ "No. 27549". 5 May 1903. p. 2842. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27549/page/2842 
  10. ↑ "No. 27576". 14 July 1903. p. 4442. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27576/page/4442 
  11. ↑ "No. 28209". 29 December 1908. p. 9945. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28209/page/9945 
  12. ↑ "No. 28216". 19 January 1909. p. 479. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28216/page/479 
  13. ↑ "No. 29468". 8 February 1916. p. 1560. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29468/page/1560 
  14. ↑ "No. 29505". 10 March 1916. p. 2767. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29505/page/2767 
  15. ↑ "No. 31465". 18 July 1919. p. 9225. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31465/supplement/9225 
  16. ↑ "No. 13511". 9 October 1919. p. 3368. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13511/page/3368 
  17. ↑ "Welcome". http://branches.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/roade-and-district/branch-information/history. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  18. ↑ "No. 33667". 5 December 1930. p. 7767. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33667/page/7767 
  19. ↑ "No. 33828". 24 May 1932. p. 3347. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33828/page/3347 
  20. ↑ "No. 33857". 23 August 1932. p. 5435. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33857/page/5435 
  21. ↑ "No. 33858". 26 August 1932. p. 5497. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33858/page/5497 
  22. ↑ "No. 33946". 2 June 1933. p. 3802. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33946/supplement/3802 
  23. ↑ "No. 34040". 10 April 1934. p. 2319. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34040/page/2319 
  24. ↑ "No. 34369". 9 February 1937. p. 891. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34369/page/891 
  25. ↑ "No. 34370". 12 February 1937. p. 996. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34370/page/996 
  26. ↑ "No. 34475". 21 January 1938. p. 437. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34475/page/437 
  27. ↑ "1940 – Home Guard". 6 July 2016. https://www.chelveston-pc.gov.uk/1940---home-guard.html. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  28. ↑ "A Company" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/leicestershire-northamptonshire-and-rutland-acf/about-our-county/a-company/. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  29. ↑ "Sir Hereward Wake – Swift and bold : the story of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps in the Second World War 1939–1945 / edited by Major General Sir Hereward Wake ; Major W.F. Deedes" (in en). https://www.rct.uk/collection/1087953/swift-and-bold-the-story-of-the-kings-royal-rifle-corps-in-the-second-world-war. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  30. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index 1837–2005". https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26HR-627. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "No. 34571". 18 November 1938. p. 7263. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34571/page/7263 
  32. ↑ "Major Sir Hereward Wake" (in en). The Times. 20 December 2017. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/major-sir-hereward-wake-98rj30s0r. Retrieved 31 May 2020. 
  33. ↑ "Miss D. Wake Left £25,000". Northampton Mercury. 7 July 1950. 
  34. ↑ "No. 32735". 4 August 1922. p. 5782. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32735/page/5782 
  35. ↑ "No. 33103". 17 November 1925. p. 7507. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33103/page/7507 
  36. ↑ "No. 36444". 28 March 1944. p. 1449. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36444/page/1449 
  37. ↑ Earle, Sir Lionel (1935). Turn Over The Page. London: Hutchinson & Co. p. 244. https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.209963/2015.209963.Turn-Over_djvu.txt. Retrieved 29 May 2020. 
  38. ↑ Strong, Roy (1996). The Tudor and Stuart monarchy : pageantry, painting, iconography. Boydell Press. p. xiv. ISBN 9780851153773. https://b-ok.cc/book/1121407/1aa842. 
Military offices
Preceded by
Maurice Taylor 		GOC 46th (North Midland) Division
1934–1937 		Post disbanded
Baronetage of England
Preceded by
Hereward Wake 		Baronet
(of Clevedon)
1916–1963 		Succeeded by
Hereward Wake
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