Reginald Laurence Scoones
| Sir Reginald Scoones | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Cully" |
| Born | 18 December 1900 |
| Died | October 1991 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army British Indian Army
|
| Years of service | 1920–1955 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit |
Royal Fusiliers 1st Royal Tank Regiment |
| Commands held |
42nd Royal Tank Regiment Sudan Defence Force 254th Indian Tank Brigade |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches |
| Relations | General Sir Geoffrey Scoones (brother) |
| Other work | Director, National Trade Defence Association |
Major General Sir Reginald Laurence Scoones KBE, CB, DSO (18 December 1900 – October 1991) was a British Army officer who served during the Second World War and its aftermath. His older brother was General Geoffrey Scoones.
Reginald Scoones was educated at Wellington School, Somerset (not to be confused with Wellington College) and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was first commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers before joining the Royal Tank Regiment in 1923. In 1928, he was seconded to the Sudan Defence Force and commanded the machine-gun battery. In 1935, back in England, he became the adjutant of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, and by early 1939 had completed a four-month spell as Staff Captain on the staff of the Mobile Division in Egypt.
At the outbreak of the war, Scoones was working as a brigade major in Cairo before moving to the staff of the Western Desert Force as GSO2 in 1940. In 1941 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and after a short spell as second in command of 6th Royal Tank Regiment, was appointed commander of 42nd Royal Tank Regiment, part of 7th Armoured Division fighting in the Western Desert. After a spell first as a GSO1 and then as a deputy director of military training at the War Office in London he was sent to India and assigned to command 254th Indian Tank Brigade on 17 November 1943. The brigade, consisting of M3 Lee tanks and Stuart tanks, was soon in action at the Battle of Imphal, serving under William Slim and Scoones's brother, Geoffrey Scoones who was commanding IV Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1945 for his "...gallant and distinguished services in Burma..." and was also mentioned in despatches. In July 1945 his substantive rank was raised to colonel.
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