John Mark Frederick Smith
Encyclopedia
Sir John Mark Frederick Smith (1790–1874) was a British general and colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers
. He was also the Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Chatham
from 1852
to 1853 and 1857
to 1865. He was a Gentleman Usher and Fellow of the Royal Society.
(died 1834), and grand-nephew of Field-marshal Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth, commander-in-chief of the Prussian army. He was born at the Manor House, Paddington
, Middlesex, on 11 January 1790. After passing through the military school at Great Marlow
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Smith received a commission as second lieutenant in the royal engineers on 1 December 1805, and in January 1806 joined his corps at Chatham.
In 1807 Smith went to Sicily
. He served in 1809 under Major-general Sir Alexander Bryce
, the commanding royal engineer of the force of Sir John Stuart, at the siege and capture of the castle of Ischia
and at the capture of Procida
in the Bay of Naples. He also took part, in the same year, in the capture of the islands of Zante and Kephalonia under Major-general Frederick Rennell Thackeray, commanding Royal Engineer of the force of Sir John Oswald. Smith was deputy-assistant quartermaster-general and senior officer of the quartermaster-general's department under Sir Hudson Lowe in 1810, in the battle before Santa Maura. He resigned his staff appointment in order to serve as an engineer officer in the trenches during the siege of Santa Maura under Oswald, the only engineer officer in addition to Thackeray and himself, Captain Parker having been wounded. The deficiency of engineer officers threw on Smith most of the executive work of the siege. He was mentioned in Sir John Oswald's despatches, and some years afterwards an effort was unsuccessfully made to get him a brevet majority for his services at Santa Maura.
Smith was promoted to be second captain on 1 May 1811. He served in Albania
and in Sicily, and in 1812 returned to England to take up the appointment of adjutant to the corps of the Royal Sappers and Miners at their headquarters at Woolwich on 1 December He held this appointment until 26 February 1815. He was promoted to be first captain on 26 August 1817, and in 1819, on the reduction of the corps of Royal Engineers, was placed on half-pay for seven months.
During the next ten years Smith was employed on various military duties in England. He was promoted to be regimental lieutenant-colonel on 16 March 1830, and was appointed commanding royal engineer of the London district. In 1831 he was made a knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order by William IV, a Knight Bachelor
on 13 September of the same year, an extra gentleman usher of the privy chamber in 1833, and on 17 March 1834 one of the ordinary gentlemen ushers. The last post he held until his death. On 2 December 1840 he was also appointed inspector-general of railways, in which capacity he examined and reported on the London and Birmingham Railway
and the other principal railways before they were opened to the public. In 1841 Smith, in conjunction with Professor Peter Barlow, made a report to the treasury respecting railway communication between London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Smith resigned the appointment of inspector-general of railways at the end of 1841, and became director of the Royal Engineer establishment at Chatham on 1 January 1842.
On 5 July 1845 Smith and Professors George Airy and Barlow were constituted a commission to inquire whether future parliamentary railway bills should provide for a uniform rail gauge
, and whether it would be expedient or practicable to bring railways already constructed or in course of construction into uniformity of gauge. On 30 March 1846 he was appointed one of the five commissioners to investigate and report upon the various railway projects in which it was proposed to have a terminus in the metropolis or its vicinity. On 9 November 1846 Smith was promoted to be colonel in the army, and on 1 May 1851 he was moved from Chatham to be commanding Royal Engineer of the southern district, with his headquarters at Portsmouth
.
In July 1852 Smith was returned to parliament as member for Chatham in theConservative interest, but in March 1853 he was unseated on petition. He was promoted to be major-general on 20 January 1854. In 1855 he was transferred from Portsmouth to the command of the Royal Engineers at Aldershot
. He was appointed public examiner and inspector of the Military College of the East India Company at Addiscombe
in 1856. In March 1857 he was again returned to parliament as member for Chatham. He resigned his command at Aldershot, finding his time fully occupied with parliamentary and other duties. He was a member of the royal commission on harbours of refuge in 1858, and of the commission on promotion and retirement in the army. He was again returned as member for Chatham at the election of April 1859, and continued to sit for that borough until 1868. He was promoted to be lieutenant-general on 25 October 1859, colonel-commandant of Royal Engineers on 6 July 1860, and general on 3 August 1863.
Smith died on 20 November 1874 at his residence, 62 Pembridge Villas, Notting Hill Gate
, London, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, an associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers
, and a member of many learned bodies.
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....
. He was also the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Chatham
Chatham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chatham was a parliamentary constituency in Kent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1852
United Kingdom general election, 1852
The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...
to 1853 and 1857
United Kingdom general election, 1857
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
to 1865. He was a Gentleman Usher and Fellow of the Royal Society.
Life
He was son of Major-general Sir John Frederick Sigismund Smith, K.C.H., of the Royal ArtilleryRoyal 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:...
(died 1834), and grand-nephew of Field-marshal Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth, commander-in-chief of the Prussian army. He was born at the Manor House, Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, Middlesex, on 11 January 1790. After passing through the military school at Great Marlow
Great Marlow
Great Marlow is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the English county of Buckinghamshire located north of the town of Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the hamlets of Bovingdon Green, Burroughs Grove, Chisbridge Cross and Marlow Common, and Danesfield Base, a housing...
and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Smith received a commission as second lieutenant in the royal engineers on 1 December 1805, and in January 1806 joined his corps at Chatham.
In 1807 Smith went to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. He served in 1809 under Major-general Sir Alexander Bryce
Alexander Bryce
Sir Alexander Bryce , was a major-general and colonel-commandant Royal Engineers.Bryce entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, as a cadet on 7 Oct. 1782, and passed out as a second lieutenant, Royal Artillery, on 25 Aug. 1787. In the autumn of that year he was employed with Captain W...
, the commanding royal engineer of the force of Sir John Stuart, at the siege and capture of the castle of Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...
and at the capture of Procida
Procida
Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the province of Naples, in the region of Campania. The population is about ten...
in the Bay of Naples. He also took part, in the same year, in the capture of the islands of Zante and Kephalonia under Major-general Frederick Rennell Thackeray, commanding Royal Engineer of the force of Sir John Oswald. Smith was deputy-assistant quartermaster-general and senior officer of the quartermaster-general's department under Sir Hudson Lowe in 1810, in the battle before Santa Maura. He resigned his staff appointment in order to serve as an engineer officer in the trenches during the siege of Santa Maura under Oswald, the only engineer officer in addition to Thackeray and himself, Captain Parker having been wounded. The deficiency of engineer officers threw on Smith most of the executive work of the siege. He was mentioned in Sir John Oswald's despatches, and some years afterwards an effort was unsuccessfully made to get him a brevet majority for his services at Santa Maura.
Smith was promoted to be second captain on 1 May 1811. He served in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and in Sicily, and in 1812 returned to England to take up the appointment of adjutant to the corps of the Royal Sappers and Miners at their headquarters at Woolwich on 1 December He held this appointment until 26 February 1815. He was promoted to be first captain on 26 August 1817, and in 1819, on the reduction of the corps of Royal Engineers, was placed on half-pay for seven months.
During the next ten years Smith was employed on various military duties in England. He was promoted to be regimental lieutenant-colonel on 16 March 1830, and was appointed commanding royal engineer of the London district. In 1831 he was made a knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order by William IV, a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
on 13 September of the same year, an extra gentleman usher of the privy chamber in 1833, and on 17 March 1834 one of the ordinary gentlemen ushers. The last post he held until his death. On 2 December 1840 he was also appointed inspector-general of railways, in which capacity he examined and reported on the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
and the other principal railways before they were opened to the public. In 1841 Smith, in conjunction with Professor Peter Barlow, made a report to the treasury respecting railway communication between London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Smith resigned the appointment of inspector-general of railways at the end of 1841, and became director of the Royal Engineer establishment at Chatham on 1 January 1842.
On 5 July 1845 Smith and Professors George Airy and Barlow were constituted a commission to inquire whether future parliamentary railway bills should provide for a uniform rail gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
, and whether it would be expedient or practicable to bring railways already constructed or in course of construction into uniformity of gauge. On 30 March 1846 he was appointed one of the five commissioners to investigate and report upon the various railway projects in which it was proposed to have a terminus in the metropolis or its vicinity. On 9 November 1846 Smith was promoted to be colonel in the army, and on 1 May 1851 he was moved from Chatham to be commanding Royal Engineer of the southern district, with his headquarters at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
In July 1852 Smith was returned to parliament as member for Chatham in theConservative interest, but in March 1853 he was unseated on petition. He was promoted to be major-general on 20 January 1854. In 1855 he was transferred from Portsmouth to the command of the Royal Engineers at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. He was appointed public examiner and inspector of the Military College of the East India Company at Addiscombe
Addiscombe
Addiscombe is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south of Charing Cross.It is situated just to the northeast of central Croydon, and is home to a high proportion of people who commute to Central London, owing to its proximity to the busy...
in 1856. In March 1857 he was again returned to parliament as member for Chatham. He resigned his command at Aldershot, finding his time fully occupied with parliamentary and other duties. He was a member of the royal commission on harbours of refuge in 1858, and of the commission on promotion and retirement in the army. He was again returned as member for Chatham at the election of April 1859, and continued to sit for that borough until 1868. He was promoted to be lieutenant-general on 25 October 1859, colonel-commandant of Royal Engineers on 6 July 1860, and general on 3 August 1863.
Smith died on 20 November 1874 at his residence, 62 Pembridge Villas, Notting Hill Gate
Notting Hill Gate
Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name.- Location :...
, London, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, an associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
, and a member of many learned bodies.