Reginald Salmond Curtis. Major-General Sir Reginald Salmond Curtis,  (21 November 1863 – 11 January 1922) was a British army officer, responsible for the reorganisation and modernisation of the Royal Engineers during the First World War.

Early life
Curtis was the eldest son of Major-General Reginald Curtis, Royal Artillery, and Marianne Emma Salmond. He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He received his commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in July 1883.

Career in Africa
From 1890 to 1893 Curtis served in the Egyptian Army, and was present at the capture of Tokar, in the Sudan campaign of 1891. In the Ashanti expedition of 1895–6 he served as Director of Telegraphs.

The Second Boer War broke out in South Africa in October 1899. Curtis was at first aide-de-camp to the Engineer-in-Chief, and was afterwards appointed Assistant Director of Telegraphs. He was involved in military operations in the Orange Free State from February to May 1900, including the battles of Paardeberg and Driefontein, and operations at Vet River and Zand River. He served in the Transvaal in May and June 1900, in actions near Johannesburg and Pretoria, then east of Pretoria from July to October 1900, including the action at Belfast, also in Cape Colony south of the Orange River. For his service with the paramilitary South African Constabulary during the later part of the war, he received a brevet promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 22 August 1902.

After the end of the war in June 1902, Curtis remained in South Africa and was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant colonel, staying there until 1908 as Chief Staff Officer, and then Inspector-General of the South African Constabulary. He was a member of the Inter-Colonial Council of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony.

After returning to Britain, Curtis was posted to Edinburgh and Aldershot before becoming commandant of the Royal School of Signals in 1912–13. He then succeeded Colonel George Henry Fowke as an assistant adjutant general (AAG) at the War Office in April 1913, which saw him promoted to colonel.

First World War
However, when the First World War broke out Curtis was assistant adjutant general at the War Office, where he remained until 1917. Curtis's fellow officer, Major General Sir George Scott-Moncrieff, explained the importance of Curtis's work in a letter to The Times newspaper, dated 16 January 1922:

In 1917, Curtis was appointed to command the Cromarty naval base defences, before taking charge of administration at Aldershot. He retired in 1920, having been promoted to major-general and knighted for his services.

Family
Curtis married the Hon. Hilda Margaret, daughter of Viscount Barrington in 1894, and they had three daughters.

References

British Army generals of World War I
Royal Engineers officers
1863 births
1922 deaths
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
British Army major generals
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
People educated at Cheltenham College
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
British military personnel of the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War
Military personnel from Southend-on-Sea