Basil Edward Reinold

Captain (retired) Basil Edward Reinold, D.S.O. (28 August, 1882 – 10 February, 1971) was an especially gift torpedo officer in the Royal Navy. In the years before the war, he served as torpedo officer in a variety of cruisers and dreadnoughts, but he became increasingly involved in the Royal Navy's wireless telegraphy effort.

His cousin Harold Owen Reinold, five years older, also served in the Navy during the Great War and later reached flag rank.

Life & Career

Born the son of a civil engineer working in Bombay, India, Reinold underwent examinations for several days commencing on 20 July, 1897 and gained entrance to Britannia's term of August, 1897, his 1551 marks placing him second among the sixty-three candidates accepted as naval cadets.

He gained eight months time on passing out of Britannia and received his first appointment, to the Channel Squadron's first class protected cruiser Diadem on 15 January, 1899. It would last one year's time exactly. In January, 1902, Captain Percy Scott of first class protected cruiser Terrible, Reinold's second ship, evaluated his young Sub-Lieutenant as "a brilliant officer all round." Reinold's early examination scores support this assessment.

Reinold was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 April, 1903. On 20 July, he was appointed to the destroyer Banshee, borne on the books of Orion. On 1 March, 1904, he was appointed to the Irresistible.

On 15 March 1905, Reinold was sent to torpedo training school H.M.S. Vernon to qualify in torpedoes. He accomplished this by July, receiving a first class certificate with a commendable 193 of 200 marks in the examination. The following month, he acted as an Interpreter during a French fleet visit.

On 25 April, 1906 he was granted two months time to convalesce from appendicitis. He was found fit again on 18 August and he was re-appointed to H.M.S. Vernon, to be considered available for a sea appointment. This came on 1 October, 1906 when he was appointed to Centurion as her Lieutenant (T). On 30 April, 1907, he moved over to the armoured cruiser Essex as her torpedo officer. After four months, he returned to Vernon for a torpedo course.

Reinold was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 April, 1911 while at Vernon being instructed in Wireless Telegraphy. He left when he was appointed to Hercules as her torpedo officer on 10 April, 1912. At the end of July, 1912 Reinold was appointed to Hercules, additional, for W/T duties in the First Battle Squadron.

While in Vernon or Hercules or Collingwood, Reinold developed a system to permit a rangefinder, gyrocompass receiver and Forbes speed indicator to further automate the process of using a James Calculator to determine Torpedo Deflection.

On 10 July 1913, Reinold was made Acting Flag Commander by Vice-Admiral commanding First Battle Squadron, filling a temporary vacancy.

On 22 June, 1914, Reinold moved his squadron wireless work into Marlborough and was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1914, being evaluated by a Vice-Admiral as "exceptional" and an "extremely brilliant offr. expert (T) offr. zealous. most suitable for War Staff. should be specially promoted young." Accordingly, his time in Marlborough was brief, as on 8 July Reinold was sent to the Director of Naval Ordnance's Department, and on 1 August he was made Assistant to the D.N.O.. Thus, as the war began, Reinold had been placed in command of a desk, but he would prove most capable in such a role.

Great War

On 4 September, 1914, Reinold's role at the D.N.O. changed to one of "Special Service at the Admiralty (W/S)". His efforts were lauded. By mid-1915 Rear-Admiral Fremantle said that Reinold "showed zeal & ability of a high order in W/T duties" and in helping with the establishment of shore stations. On 12 April, 1916, he was appointed as Staff Officer, Second Grade, Signal Section of the War Staff.

In September 1916, Reinold sat on an Admiralty committee to consider questions of the training, duties and status of Royal Naval Air Service observers.

On 14 February, 1917, Captain C. R. Payne, head of the Signal Section of the War Staff at the Admiralty recorded that Reinold had "dealt with all W.T questions & shown marked ability & has complete grasp of all details : zeal & quickness in dealing with intricate questions [illeg] sound mind have been of the greatest assistance to the organization, and tact with which he dealt with the officers of the section he was in charge [illeg] impressed me considerably."

On 20 February, 1917, Reinold was appointed in command of the Acheron Class destroyer Ariel. On 22 April Ariel collided with Lennox, and Reinold received the Admiralty's displeasure for having left the bridge in the hands of an inexperienced officer on watch. He moved to command Hind when she and Ariel changed bases in July, 1917.

Reinold was commended for "the good look-out and prompt action" taken on 3 October, 1918 which was judged to have saved a convoy from u-boat attack and he was mentioned in despatches for his services in destroyers in the first half of 1918, gazetted on 11 December, 1918. A D.S.O. was awarded for his efforts in patrol and convoy operations between 1 July and 11 November, 1918.

Reinold was appointed in command of the destroyer Plucky on 28 December, 1918.

Post-War

On 11 March, 1919, Reinold was granted six months unpaid leave to attend to private affairs. He left command of Skate that month. He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 26 July, 1919, to be promoted to Captain on his forty-fifth birthday. Reinold was duly promoted to the rank of Captain on 28 August, 1927. There is no indication that he served the Navy after 1919.

After leaving the navy, Reinold purchased and operated a laundry for some time. In 1954, he was living in Wrotham in Kent. In their later years the couple ran a small wool shop in Shoreham their grand-daughter remembers visiting as a child and they finally lived in Bromley. Basil Reinold died 10 February, 1971.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Philip A. Bateman-Champain	Captain of H.M.S. Foam 7 Mar, 1902 – 4 Jun, 1902	Succeeded by Stanley V. Ellis
Preceded by ?	Squadron W/T Officer, First Battle Squadron 31 Jul, 1912	Succeeded by Cedric S. Holland
Preceded by James D. Dick	Assistant Director of Naval Ordnance 1 Aug, 1914 – 4 Sep, 1914	Succeeded by Herbert R. Norbury
Preceded by Arthur L. Sanders	Captain of H.M. T.B. 99 14 Feb, 1917 – 20 Feb, 1917	Succeeded by Ernest A. J. W. Carter
Preceded by Charles M. Blackman	Captain of H.M.S. Ariel 20 Feb, 1917 – Jul, 1917	Succeeded by Frank A. Rothera
Preceded by Frank A. Rothera	Captain of H.M.S. Hind Jul, 1917 – 27 Dec, 1917	Succeeded by Charles F. Bush
Preceded by Frederick R. M. Johnson	Captain of H.M.S. Lochinvar 27 Dec, 1917 – 28 Dec, 1918	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Patrick W. R. Weir	Captain of H.M.S. Plucky 28 Dec, 1918 – 29 Jan, 1919	Succeeded by Joseph H. L. Yorke
Preceded by Joseph H. L. Yorke	Captain of H.M.S. Skate 29 Jan, 1919 – Mar, 1919	Succeeded by Archibald A. Lovett-Cameron
Preceded by Edward S. F. Fegen	Captain of H.M.S. Paladin 20 Mar, 1919 – 5 Nov, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Berwick Curtis	Captain of H.M.S. Abdiel 11 Dec, 1919 – 16 Feb, 1920	Succeeded by Hugh T. Prichard