Thomas B. Robinson
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Bilbe Robinson GBE
KCMG
(24 November 1853–15 May 1939) was an English
-born Australia
n businessman and public servant.
Robinson was born in Rotherhithe
, London
, the son of a shipbuilder. In 1881 he emigrated to Queensland
and went into business, becoming involved in many companies. He also joined the Queensland Militia and rose to the rank of Major
commanding the 1st Queenslanders and was later senior officer in Central Queensland
.
In 1910 he returned to London as Agent-General for Queensland and served until his retirement at the end of 1919. During the First World War the Board of Trade
gave him the responsibility of procuring and distributing frozen meat to the Allied
Forces. This job he carried out exceptionally well, and by the end of the war he had dealt with 3,500,000 ton
s of meat, the largest quantity that had been handled by a single organisation at any time in history to date. It was one commodity that the Allied Forces were never short of.
Robinson was knighted
in 1910 shortly after his appointment as Agent-General, appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
(KCMG) in 1913, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(KBE) in 1917, and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1920 Birthday Honours. He was also an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
(for his services as a commissioner of the Franco-British Exhibition), and a Commander of both the Order of the Crown of Belgium and the Order of the Crown of Italy
.
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...
KCMG
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....
(24 November 1853–15 May 1939) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman and public servant.
Robinson was born in Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a shipbuilder. In 1881 he emigrated to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and went into business, becoming involved in many companies. He also joined the Queensland Militia and rose to the rank of 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. ...
commanding the 1st Queenslanders and was later senior officer in Central Queensland
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...
.
In 1910 he returned to London as Agent-General for Queensland and served until his retirement at the end of 1919. During the First World War the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
gave him the responsibility of procuring and distributing frozen meat to the Allied
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
Forces. This job he carried out exceptionally well, and by the end of the war he had dealt with 3,500,000 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of meat, the largest quantity that had been handled by a single organisation at any time in history to date. It was one commodity that the Allied Forces were never short of.
Robinson was knighted
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...
in 1910 shortly after his appointment as Agent-General, appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
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....
(KCMG) in 1913, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
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...
(KBE) in 1917, and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1920 Birthday Honours. He was also an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(for his services as a commissioner of the Franco-British Exhibition), and a Commander of both the Order of the Crown of Belgium and the Order of the Crown of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
.