Stevens R W M Captain Royal Irish Rifles
STEVENS, REGINALD WALTER MORTON, Capt., Royal Irish Rifles, and Brigade Major, 9th Infantry Brigade, 2nd s. of Col. George Morton Stevens, late R.A., by his wife, Mary, dau of Surg.-Gen. William Campbell Maclean, C.B., M.D., LL.D.; b. Dover, 18 Dec. 1876; educ. Mr. T. Eastman’s, Stubbington; Appuldurcombe, I.W., and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Royal Irish Rifles, 5 Sept. 1896, and promoted Lieut. Aug. 1898; and Capt. 2 Jan. 1904; joined the 2nd Battn. at Poona in Oct. 1896; served in the South African War, Oct. 1890-1902; took part in operations in Cape Colony, 1899 to 1900 (was severely wounded at Stormberg, 10 Dec. 1899) and Nov 1900, to April, 1901 (Assistant Staff Officer to Assistant Inspector- Gen., Western Section, Lines of Communication), and in Orange River Colony, April, 1901, to 21 May, 1902 (Queen’s medal with two clasps, King’s medal with two clasps); and (2) in East Africa; was Special Service Officer on Staff during operations in Somaliland, 7 May, 1903, to 12 June, 1904; present at action at Jedballi (medal with two clasps); was Adjutant 25 Jan. 1905 to 25 Jan. 1908, and Officer of a company of Gentlemen Cadets at the R.M.C., Sandhurst, 25 Jan. 1908 to 21 Jan. 1910; joined the Staff College in 1910; was attd to the Naval War College, Portsmouth, 1912, and 1 Nov. of that year was appointed Brigade Major, 9th Infantry Brigade, Southern Command, an appointment he continued to hold until his death.
He went to the front 13 Aug. 1914; was in action at Le Cateau on the 26th, and an urgent order to retire instantly having been received, to ensure its reaching the front line and being acted on without delay, Capt. Stevens rode himself to deliver it and was mortally wounded in doing so, and died in a farmhouse the following day, 27 Aug. 1914. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 8 Oct. [London Gazette, 19 Oct.], 1914, for gallant and distinguished service in the field. He m. at Alverstoke, Hants, 1912, Elisabeth (Cambridge Cottage, Alverstoke), dau. of the late Rev. J. C. Mace, of Hawley, Blackwater, and had a dau., Agnes Desirée, b. 11 Sept. 1914-two weeks after her father’s death.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1