Died: 14th February 1915
Age: 29
Charles Simms Reeve, eldest son of WH Simms Reeve, was born 26th December, 1885. He and his brothers were at [Victoria] College from 1901 to 1902, while the family were living at Neilgherry, St. Lawrence, Jersey. Shortly after leaving he entered Sandhurst, and joining the 2nd Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment he served in India eight years, becoming Lieutenant in 1909 and Captain in April 1914.
He was killed when leading an attack against the Germans near Ypres on 14th February, 1915. His Colonel wrote: “His natural bent for Games and his prowess thereat showed him up as one to be reckoned an asset to the Battalion. His naturally free carriage made his smartness the more conspicuous and admirable. His spirit of fair play rendered his strict sense of discipline acceptable even to those wh0 suffered most therefrom. The reports on him in a series of years have called him “full of influence for good with his juniors,” “a typical leader of men,” and it was as such, alas! that his last great effort ended fatally for him. Whatever he had given him to do he did thoroughly. At manoeuvres, he was always a leader, a setter of the best example. When senior subaltern he was invaluable in putting young ones right, and his manners and his way of doing his work were always patterns for them to copy.”
The above text appeared in the Victoria College Book of Remembrance published in 1920.
The link to the Channel Islands Great War Study Group website is:
http://www.greatwarci.net/honour/guernsey/database/reeve-cs-meningate.htm
