Major Alexander Reid Davies KRRC was born in Southminster, Essex in 1867 to Robert C Davies.
He was initiated into the Lodge in 1892.
He joined the Regiment, then known as the 1st Middlesex (Victoria and St. George’s) Volunteer Rifle Corps, and was promoted Lieutenant in January 1897.
He served in South Africa with the Regiment and a member of the Imperial Representative Corps in Sydney, Australia in 1901, commanding the 47 ranks of the Regiment who were attached to the IRC, to mark the opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament by the Duke and Duchess of York, late His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary.
He was transferred to the 7th Bttn Kings Royal Rifle Corps as a Captain in 1903 and made an Hon Major. the 7th became the 6th Bttn in 1908 with the reforms. He was serving with the 6th at the outbreak of the Great War but was forced to resign his commission on 11 December 1914 on account of ill health. He did so in good standing and retained his rank as Captain and Hon Major. He returned to duty following his recovery and was once more gazetted to his Battalion in March 1915.
The National Army Museum holds a full length signed photographic portrait of Lt A R Davies, 1st Middlesex Volunteer Rifles Corps, 1901; photograph was taken in Sydney, Australia where Davies was a member of the Imperial Representative Corps (ref: 1991-02-271).