William Douglas Smith

Major General Sir William Douglas Smith KCB KCVO (24 March 1865 – 4 February 1939) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.[1]

Sir William Smith
Birth name	William Douglas Smith
Born	24 March 1865 Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon, England
Died	4 February 1939 (aged 73) Kensington, London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1885–1924
Rank	Major General
Commands held	56th (1/1st London) Division
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

Military career

Smith was the son of Lt.-Col. Andrew William Douglas Smith, Royal Marines and Myra Elizabeth Luxmoore, an artist.[1] Smith was commissioned into the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1885.[2] He took part in the Burma expedition in 1886 and the Tirah Campaign in 1897.[2] He was appointed a Brigade Major in India in 1905 and Commanding Officer of 1 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1911.[2] He served in World War I as Commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 20th (Light) Division and then as General Officer Commanding 56th (1/1st London) Division in France.[2] He took command of the 56th Division on a temporary basis between 24 July 1917 and 9 August 1917 after his predecessor had been taken ill and until a permanent appointment could be made.[3]

After the War he became Commander of Portsmouth Garrison and then Lieutenant Governor of Jersey before retiring in 1924.[2]

Family

He married Kathleen Edith Beyts and had one daughter.[1]

References

1. "Obituary: Maj.-Gen. Sir William Douglas Smith – Conspicuous Success in Action". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 6 February 1939. p. 14.
2. "Smith, Sir William Douglas". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
3. The Tactical Development of the 56th (London) Division on the Western Front 1916 to 1918