The son of the Reverend Mark Alfred Reading, he was born in the Orange Free State in April 1896 at Heilbron.[1] He was educated in England at Cranleigh School,[2] before joining the Royal Marines at the start of the First World War as a probationary second lieutenant.[3] During the war he was promoted twice, first to lieutenant in March 1915,[4] while in May 1918 he was promoted to captain.[5] Reading later made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the Royal Navy against the British Army cricket team at Lord's in 1929.[6] Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed in the Royal Navy first-innings for 12 runs by Frederick Arnold, while in their second-innings he was dismissed for 7 runs by Edward Armitage.[7] He was promoted to major in June 1932,[8] before being promoted to lieutenant colonel.[9]
At the start of the Second World War he was posted to HMS St. Angelo in Malta.[1] In November 1939, he was made a temporary colonel,[10] which he relinquished in January 1940.[11] He was the commanding officer of 5th RM Battalion between March 1940 and February 1942,[1] taking part in the operations in Dakar between August and October 1940. He was made an acting colonel commandant in February 1942,[12] while in October 1943 he was made a colonel 2nd commandant.[13]
He was appointed as the Royal Marines aide-de-camp to George VI in October 1945, by which time the war was over, replacing Arthur Reginald Chater in the role.[14] After the conclusion of the war, Reading held the rank of temporary brigadier and was promoted to major-general in January 1946.[15] He was made a CBE in the 1946 Birthday Honours.[16] He was placed on the retired list in November of the same year, having ended his career as the commander of the RM Plymouth Division.[17][1]
Following his retirement, Reading settled at Buckland St Mary, Somerset. He was appointed as a deputy lieutenant for Somerset in June 1955.[18] He later moved to Sellicks Green, where he died in January 1975. He was survived by his wife, Phoebe, whom he had married in 1933.[1]