Leicester Smyth

Sir Leicester Smyth
Born	25 October 1829
Died	27 January 1891 (aged 61) London, United Kingdom
Buried	Gopsall, Leicestershire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands held	Western District Cape Colony Southern District
Battles/wars	Crimean War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Lieutenant General Sir Leicester Smyth (formerly Curzon-Howe) KCB KCMG (25 October 1829 – 27 January 1891) was Governor of Gibraltar.

Military career

Born the seventh son of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe and educated at Eton College, Smyth was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1845. He served in the Basuto War in 1852.

In 1854 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Lord Raglan and was present at the Battle of Alma, the Battle of Inkerman and the Siege of Sevastopol. He subsequently served as ADC to General Codington.

He was made Assistant Military Secretary in the Ionian Islands in 1856, Military Secretary in Ireland in 1865 and Deputy Quartermaster in Ireland in 1872.

In 1877 he became General Officer Commanding Western District and in 1880 GOC Cape Colony. He was acting High Commissioner for Southern Africa from 1882 to 1883, GOC Southern District from 1889 to 1890 (in which capacity he hosted a visit by the Shah of Persia) and Governor of Gibraltar from 1890 until his death in 1891, aged 61.

Family

In 1866 he married Alicia Maria Smyth and the following year adopted his wife's maiden name as his own surname: they had no children.

References

Military offices
Preceded by Henry Smyth	GOC Western District 1877–1880	Succeeded by Thomas Pakenham
Preceded by Sir George Willis	GOC Southern District 1889–1890	Succeeded by The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Government offices
Preceded by Sir Arthur Hardinge	Governor of Gibraltar 1890–1891	Succeeded by Sir Lothian Nicholson