Charles Aitchison Smith
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Aitchison Smith CIE
(12 September 1871 – 26 January 1940) was a British Army
and Indian Army
officer and administrator in India
.
Smith was born in Leith
, the son of George Smith, a well-known writer on India. His brothers were Sir George Adam Smith
and Sir James Dunlop Smith. His sister was the mother of the politician Rab Butler
. Smith was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh
, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Smith was commissioned into the Essex Regiment
in November 1891 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion, serving in Cyprus
and then India, where he transferred to the Indian Staff Corps
in January 1896 and served in the Tirah Campaign
of 1897. He was promoted Captain in October 1901. He joined the Indian Political Department
in 1902 and served in the remote areas of Gilgit
, Chilas
, Chitral
, and the Tochi, all in the Himalayas
. He was promoted Major
in November 1909.
In the First World War, he served with the Indian Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders with Hodson's Horse
, fighting at Mons
. He later transferred to Fane's Horse, and also served as an intelligence officer.
Returning to India in 1917, he served as Political Officer at Gilgit until 1920, although also serving in the Third Afghan War in 1919. He was then appointed Political Agent at Quetta
until his retirement in 1923.
Returning to the United Kingdom
, he was appointed publicity secretary of the Public Schools Cadet Association in 1926 and secretary of the British National Cadet Association in 1931, holding both posts until his death.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the 1920 New Year Honours.
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
(12 September 1871 – 26 January 1940) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
officer and administrator in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Smith was born in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, the son of George Smith, a well-known writer on India. His brothers were Sir George Adam Smith
George Adam Smith
George Adam Smith , Scottish theologian, was born in Calcutta, where his father, George Smith, C.I.E., was then Principal of the Doveton College, a boys' school....
and Sir James Dunlop Smith. His sister was the mother of the politician Rab Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
. Smith was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Smith was commissioned into the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
in November 1891 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion, serving in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and then India, where he transferred to the Indian Staff Corps
Indian Staff Corps
The Indian Staff Corps was a branch of the Indian Army during the British Raj.Separate Staff Corps were formed in 1861 for the Bengal, Madras and Bombay Armies, which were later combined into the Indian Army. They were meant to provide officers for the native regiments and for the staff and army...
in January 1896 and served in the Tirah Campaign
Tirah Campaign
The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:...
of 1897. He was promoted Captain in October 1901. He joined the Indian Political Department
Indian Political Department
The Indian Political Department originated in a resolution passedon September 13, 1783 by the Board of Directors of the East India Company; this decreedthe creation of a department which could help “relieve the pressure” on theadministration of...
in 1902 and served in the remote areas of Gilgit
Gilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
, Chilas
Chilas
Chilas is a small town located in the Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan on the left side of river Indus. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway which links it to Islamabad in the south via Dassu, Besham, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur...
, Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
, and the Tochi, all in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. He was promoted Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in November 1909.
In the First World War, he served with the Indian Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders with Hodson's Horse
Hodson's Horse
Hodson's Horse is a cavalry regiment which originated as part of the British Indian Army. It was raised by Brevet Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and exists today as the 4th Horse Regiment in the Indian Army...
, fighting at Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
. He later transferred to Fane's Horse, and also served as an intelligence officer.
Returning to India in 1917, he served as Political Officer at Gilgit until 1920, although also serving in the Third Afghan War in 1919. He was then appointed Political Agent at Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
until his retirement in 1923.
Returning to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he was appointed publicity secretary of the Public Schools Cadet Association in 1926 and secretary of the British National Cadet Association in 1931, holding both posts until his death.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the 1920 New Year Honours.