Arthur Smith (British Army officer)
| Sir Arthur Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1890 |
| Died | 1977 (aged 86 or 87) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1910–48 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Coldstream Guards |
| Commands held |
British Army in India and Pakistan Eastern Command, India Persia and Iraq Command Brigade of Guards London District 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class (USSR) |
| Other work | Author of 100 Days Bible Study |
Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Francis Smith, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC (1890–1977) was a senior British Army officer during the Second World War.
Military career
Smith attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the British Army's Coldstream Guards in 1910.[1]
He served in the First World War as an adjutant with the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards on the Western Front from 1914 before becoming a General Staff Officer (GSO) in France in 1915.[1]
During the interwar period he became a GSO at London District and then adjutant at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst from 1921.[1] It was during this time that he compiled the 100 Days Bible Study for cadet officers.[2] He became Commandant at the Guards Depot in 1924[3] and then moved back to London District in 1927.[1] He was made Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards in 1930 and then Commander of the Coldstream Guards and Regimental District in 1934.[1] In 1938 he became a Brigadier on the General Staff of British Troops in Egypt.[1]
He served in the Second World War initially as chief of staff at Middle East Command until 1942 when he became Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District.[1] He was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Persia and Iraq Command in 1944,[1] and awarded the Soviet Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class.[4]
After the war he was made General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Eastern Command, India in 1945.[1] He became Chief of the General Staff in India in 1946 and Commander of British Forces in India and Pakistan in 1947; he retired in 1948.[1]
He was Lieutenant of the Tower of London from 1948 to 1951.[1] He was a religious man who became Chairman of the British Evangelical Alliance and President of the World Evangelical Fellowship.[5]
Publications
While a captain with the Coldstream Guards, he was adjutant of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from 1921 to 1924. During that time he realised the need for a book to help Gentlemen Cadets understand their Bibles. He therefore compiled 100 Days Bible Study, of which over 120,000 copies have been printed, and which has been translated in whole or in part into several different languages. It is still in print today.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- 1 2 100 Days Bible Study
- ↑ "The Fight of Faith: lives and testimonies from the battlefield" Bray,P./Claydon,M. (Eds) Ch 9 p122 (Dobbie,W.I.C.): London, Panoplia, 2013 ISBN 978-0-9576089-0-0
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36616. p. 3379. 21 July 1944. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ↑ Papers of Oswald J. Smith – Collection 322
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Bertram Sergison-Brooke |
GOC London District 1942–1944 |
Succeeded by Sir Charles Loyd |
| Preceded by Sir Richard O'Connor |
GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, India 1945–1946 |
Succeeded by Sir Francis Tuker |
| Preceded by Sir John Swayne |
Chief of the General Staff (India) 1946–1947 |
Succeeded by Post disbanded (Replaced by the Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army) |