Catalogue description Papers of Hon Brigadier General Horatio Reginald Mends, King's Royal Rifle Corps, 1875-1927

The collection consists of the papers of Brigadier General Horatio Reginald Mends of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, spanning the years 1875-1927.

The papers include correspondence, newspaper cuttings, notes, diaries, personal papers and letters relating to the Transvaal War (1880-1881), Ireland (1888-1889), Morocco (1892), the 2nd Sudan War (1896-1899), the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), the West Riding Territorial Force Association and World War One (1914-1918).

The associated reference numbers are based on Museum accessioning procedures; a collection level description is used to bring the collection together

Original order maintained where possible

Hon. Brigadier General Horatio R Mends

The collection is open to researchers and can be accessed at the Templer Study Centre, National Army Museum

Gifted to the museum

• military
• army
• South Africa
• Boer War
• officer
• World War One

Hon. Brigadier General Horatio Reginald Mends C.B. was born in 1851 in Cheltenham and died in 1933 in York. His father was Vice-Admiral George Butler Clark Mends, a British Royal Navy Officer, and his grandfather was Commodore Sir Robert Mends, a Welsh Officer in the Royal Navy.

Mends was made Lieutenant in the 60th King’s Royal Rifles in December 1871, promoted to Captain in January 1881, then Major in October 1885 and Lieutenant Colonel in 1894.

Mends became a Staff Officer at the Rifle Depot, being promoted to Colonel in 1899. He then later retired in April 1908. In 1912, Mends was given a honorary rank of Brigadier-General and was also Hon. Colonel of the West Riding of York Territorial Force. He was made a Companion of the Order of Bath in 1916.

Mends was additionally a Volunteer for the British Red Cross as County Director from 1914-1916.