Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee
Encyclopedia
Major-General Sir Casimir Cartwright van Straubenzee KBE
CB
CMG
(11 November, 1867 – 28 March, 1956), was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers
.
, Yorkshire
, and Anne Macaulay Cartwright, daughter of The Hon. John Solomon Cartwright
. Educated at Trinity College School
, Port Hope
and Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
, graduating in 1898. He served on the RMC
staff 1898-1903.
He played cricket
for the Royal Engineers from 1892 to 1908, and one first-class
game in 1899 for the MCC
. He also played for Canada in 1900. He was the author of Recollections of Sportsmen and Sport in Days of Yore.
He was Inspector-General of the Royal Artillery
from 1917 to 1918 and then served as General Officer Commanding Singapore
during World War I
. He was commanding officer of the Malaya Command
from 1927 to 1931. This command
of British Commonwealth
forces was formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya
and Singapore
.
In 1909 he married Ethel Purcell VanKoughnet (d.1949), whose father, Mathew Robert VanKoughnet (1824–1874) of Toronto, was a first cousin of van Straubenzee's mother. She was a niece of Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
. He died 28 March 1956, Lansdown, Bath, Somerset.
.
Straubenzee, the fictional maker of Colonel Sebastian Moran's air-gun in Sherlock Holmes
' 'The Adventure of the Empty House
', is identified as Major-General Casimir Cartwright Van Straubenzee (1866–1956).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(11 November, 1867 – 28 March, 1956), was a British soldier of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
.
Education and career
The son of Colonel Bowen van Straubenzee (1829–1898) of SpennithorneSpennithorne
Spennithorne is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. about 2 miles south east of Leyburn. John Hutchinson, a writer was born here in 1674.- External links :*...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and Anne Macaulay Cartwright, daughter of The Hon. John Solomon Cartwright
John Solomon Cartwright
Lt.-Col. The Hon. John Solomon Cartwright QC was a businessman, lawyer, judge, farmer and political figure....
. Educated at Trinity College School
Trinity College School
Trinity College School is a coeducational, independent boarding/day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than 2 years prior to Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School for grades 9 to 12 and a Junior School for grades 5 to 8.Among its...
, Port Hope
Port Hope
Port Hope mar refer to:*Port Hope, Michigan, U.S.*Port Hope, Ontario, Canada**Port Hope Aerodrome**Port Hope Conference**Port Hope Panthers**Port Hope railway station**Port Hope Transit...
and Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, graduating in 1898. He served on the RMC
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
staff 1898-1903.
He played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for the Royal Engineers from 1892 to 1908, and one first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
game in 1899 for the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. He also played for Canada in 1900. He was the author of Recollections of Sportsmen and Sport in Days of Yore.
He was Inspector-General of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
from 1917 to 1918 and then served as General Officer Commanding Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was commanding officer of the Malaya Command
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
from 1927 to 1931. This command
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
of British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces was formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
In 1909 he married Ethel Purcell VanKoughnet (d.1949), whose father, Mathew Robert VanKoughnet (1824–1874) of Toronto, was a first cousin of van Straubenzee's mother. She was a niece of Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet
The Hon. Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet , President of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chancellor of Upper Canada.-Early life:...
. He died 28 March 1956, Lansdown, Bath, Somerset.
Legacy
He was the sitter for two of the portraits in the National Gallery, LondonNational Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
.
Straubenzee, the fictional maker of Colonel Sebastian Moran's air-gun in Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
' 'The Adventure of the Empty House
The Adventure of the Empty House
"The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Public pressure forced Conan Doyle to bring the sleuth back to life, and explain his...
', is identified as Major-General Casimir Cartwright Van Straubenzee (1866–1956).
Books
- 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print....
, 1969. - H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
- H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968
- H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. Royal Military College. [Kingston]. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984