Horatius Reid was born in Kelso in Roxburghshire on 1 March 1875, the son of Mary Reid (née Mearns), of Kelso, Roxburghshire, and the late William Reid (a confectioner and baker). At the time of the 1891 Census the family had moved to Ravensdown, Berwick on Tweed, Northumberland.

He joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class at HMS VICTORY on 5 March 1894. After training he served in various ships and establishments including sea time in the cruiser HMS GIBRALTAR, the Torpedo Gun Boat HMS SEAGULL, the cruiser HMS CALLIOPE and the battleship HMS VENGEANCE until 1st July 1905. He then joined the Submarine Depot Ship HMS THAMES at Portsmouth. He transferred to HMS MERCURY at Portsmouth when it replaced HMS THAMES on 8 April 1906.

Horatius Reid was advanced to Stoker 1st Class on 1 July 1906 and he next joined the Submarine Depot Ship HMS VULCAN at Sheerness on 5 January 1909. He returned to HMS MERCURY from 4 August 1909 before rejoining HMS VULCAN on 26 November 1909 and served there until 24 January 1911. He then returned to General Service in line with the rule that five years was the maximum length of submarine service.  He then served in the cruiser HMS GOOD HOPE from 16 February 1911 to 23 December 1912 and, after further service in HMS VICTORY and HMS VERNON, he returned to submarine service in HMS MAIDSTONE at Harwich on 1 August 1914.

On 27 November 1914 he was drafted to the Submarine Base HMS DOLPHIN at Gosport and he served there until 1919. It is reported that he was taken ill with pneumonia and died in the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar on 17 February 1919. Horatius Reid is buried in the Kelso Cemetery, Roxburghshire, Scotland in Grave No. E204.

Note. No information is available on submarines in which he may have served but the 7th Submarine Section/Flotilla operated ‘C’ Class Submarines and the 8th Submarine Flotilla operated ‘D’ and ‘E’ Class Submarines.