Reincke, LF

Captain Leopold Frederick Reincke

Born on September 11th 1887, Leopold was the third of five children of Hans Roderick Leopold Reincke, a German-born civil engineer who became a naturalised British citizen when Leopold was five years old, and his wife, Annie, a Londoner. He joined the College from the Prep in the summer of 1900, very much a family tradition, as his two older brothers were already Alleynians and his younger brother, Arthur, would go on to become one. In 1905-6, his final year at Dulwich, Leopold was in the Classical Remove and was also a member of the 2nd XV. After leaving he went abroad for a time to continue his education before returning and taking up a position in the City.
He was in Egypt when war was declared but returned home as soon as he could; by December 1914 he had already been granted a commission in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. For almost two years he was to remain in England, at first completing his own training, then, after being promoted to Captain in August 1915, helping others to train. In October 1916 he went over to the front for the first time, serving through the latter stages of the Battle of the Somme before, the following summer, serving as Company Commander at Messines. Shortly after this he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps, with whom he spent some time back in England learning to fly before returning once more to France. On August 17th he was killed, whilst flying an offensive patrol behind enemy lines; his body was later recovered and buried at Zuydcoote, near Dunkirk.