The citation for this award reads:Temporary Second Lieutenant Dennis Whitehorn Reid, 10th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), attached 30th Trench Mortar Battery.
He led his company with great dash in the face of machine-gun fire, and on entering, the outskirts of a village captured singlehanded fourteen enemy, and assisted in the taking of five machine guns.
After long leave in Britain he returned as Regimental Duty Company commander of the 1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry from 1926 with detachments to the Andaman Islands (1926–1928), Santa Cruz and Mandalay.
In November 1930 he was involved in a train crash but escaped with minor bruising and returned to Calcutta for ceremonial duties, In April 1933 he led B Company 1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry on a detachment into Tibet as military escort to the incumbent British Trade Agent at Yatung and Gyanste providing ceremonial escort for the formal visit of F W Williamson, British Political Officer in Sikkim.
On 4 January 1934 he was promoted Major[13] and completed a tour of duty in Peshawar and the North West Frontier with the 1/5th Mahrattas at Landikotal, the highest point of the Khyber Pass, in the summer months and Shagai Fort, near Ali Masjid in the winter.
After a further long leave, he was posted to the 3rd battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry in April 1938 as second in command, and worked at the Indian Army HQ, Simla, on mobilisation plans.
Compton Mackenzie in his book Eastern Epic, the authorised history of the Indian Army from the start of the war until the battle of Alamein, described it as: ...one of the outstanding small actions of the Second World War...Next morning [Frank] Messervy [commander of 9th Brigade] scrambled up Pinnacle to congratulate Reid and his Mahrattas and wondered how they had been able to scramble up with their equipment against fierce opposition, when he was finding it a pretty tough job without [either]...At the top, when he saw the victors, he was overcome by the splendour of their feat and his combative amber eyes filled with tears.
[4] The citation reads:During the Keren operations, from the 15 to 26 March 1941, Lieut-Colonel Reid’s battalion, the 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, carried out two highly successful attacks on which, to a considerable extent, was dependent the completeness of the victory won.
The first attack was on the feature known as the "Pinnacle", a precipitous strongly held hill which formed the outer bastion of the Brigade’s objective, Fort Dologorodoc.
In spite of the immense natural strength of the enemy’s position, which was also wired and carefully prepared for defence, the Mahrattas stormed the hill with remarkable dash and determination.
The magnificent offensive spirit and the invincible drive shown by this Battalion was, to a large extent, due to Lieut-Colonel Reid’s personal influence and example.
He spent sixteen months as a prisoner of war in Sulmona POW camp PG78, Italy eventually escaping with two other Brigadiers through the British 8th Army lines at Cassino on 9 November 1943.
The citation for this latter award reads:The White House, Washington 17 August 1945.Citation of Legion of Merit; Degree of CommanderMajor-General DW Reid, CBE, DSO, MC., British Army, performed outstanding services as Commander of the 10th Indian Division from 1 April 1944 to 2 May 1945.
The 10th Indian Division went on to play a decisive role in crossing the Sillard and Idice Rivers against some of the most expert German troops, keeping pace with the tremendous rate of advance of the 15th Army Group in the Po valley.
The 10th Indian Division's accomplishments in both holding and offensive assignements, and its ability to change quickly from one to the other, were the direct result of General Reid's expert planning, tactical knowledge, and splendid manoeuvring of the troops under his command.He retired from the army on 12 July 1947 and lived in Somerset.