Name/Title
1985 - Major General Roland Antoine Reid, MVO, OC, MC, CD, OStJ (1920-2015) - CGG Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel (Nov 1979- Oct 1985)Description
Photo portrait of the late Hon. Lieutenant Colonel Major General Roland Antoine Reid, MVO, OC, MC, CD, OStJ who was Hon. LCol of CGG from November 1, 1979, to October 31, 1985.
Roland Antoine Reid was born in Montreal on 30 November 1920. He attended high school at Le Collége Sainte-Marie before enrolling at l’Université de Montréal in 1936. Roland put on his first military uniform as a cadet with the Corps école d’élèves officiers, a French version of the Canadian Officer Training Corps. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1940.
Roland began an engineering degree at McGill University but left to enlist in the Canadian Army. He joined Le Régiment de Maisonneuve in 1942 but volunteered to transfer to the British Army in 1943. Captain Reid joined 2nd Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment in the Battle of Normandy towards the end of June 1944.
AWARD OF MILITARY CROSS:
On 11 August, as the Falaise Pocket began to form, Captain Reid led “D” Company in an assault on Rousseville. His platoons became separated due to the terrain and heavy German fire. Through his dash and initiative, Reid supervised the capture of the village. He then reformed the company and led it to its objective beyond Rousseville. This action earned Roland the Military Cross and was presented the award personally by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. (Famous Canadian Photo). Wounded twice, he served with the British Army until the end of the war.
After the war, Roland continued his army career with le Royal 22ᵉ Régiment, serving in the Korean War. He held a variety of staff and command positions in the 1960s and 1970s, including chief coordinator for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Major-General Reid retired from the army in 1977.
Roland began a new career holding executive positions in nonprofits and the defence industry. He held Honorary Lieutenant Colonel and Honorary Colonel positions with the Canadian Grenadier Guards and le Royal 22ᵉ Régiment respectively.
He was also one of a handful of distinguished Canadian Grenadier Guards who have been awarded the Companion to The Order of Canada in 1992 "for serving his country in an exemplary fashion for nearly fifty years. After a brilliant military career both on the battlefield, where he was decorated for valour, and in the many important positions he held in times of peace, he has taken on difficult challenges in the private sector. In addition, he was involved in a number of royal visits as Her Majesty's Equerry and Canadian Secretary."
Hon. Lt.-Col. Roland Antoine Reid, OC, MC, CD died on 20 May 2015, aged 94. He was predeceased by his two wives, Rita Dansereau and Claire Brault, and left behind three children and one granddaughter.Created By
Bertille L. HurelCreate Date
December 30, 2022Updated By
Lieutenant Michael Hayes-Rivet, retired.Update Date
May 19, 2025
