Edmund Hakewill-Smith

Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1915 – 1949
Rank	Major-General
Battles/wars	First World War Second World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Commander with Star of the Royal Order of St Olav Grand Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau

Major-General Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO, MC (b. 17 March 1896, Kimberley, South Africa - d. 15 April 1986, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey) was a South African-born British Army officer, who served in World War I and World War II.

Early life

Hakewill-Smith was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa, on 17 March 1896, he was educated at the Diocesan College ("Bishops") in Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa and at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Military career

Hakewill-Smith was commissioned into The Royal Scots Fusiliers on 16 June 1915 and served in France during the Great War; he was wounded twice. He served with the British Military Mission to South Russia in 1920, and in 1921 he was Aide-de-Camp to Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland (Governor of Bengal, India).

Hakewill Smith attended the Staff College, Camberley from 16 June 1915.

Hakewill-Smith initially served as officer-commanding the 5th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, for several months from May 1940 and from September that year, as officer-commanding the 4/5th battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, as an acting Lieutenant-colonel. He was promoted to temporary brigadier on 30 March 1941, and commanded the 157th and 155th Infantry Brigades, before taking over command of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division on 11 November 1943. Hakewill-Smith commanded the 52nd Division during the campaign in North-West Europe. After the War, he commanded the Lowland District in Scotland before serving as President of the Military Court for War Crimes Trial of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring. He retired in 1949.

Hakewill-Smith was awarded the CB (1944) and CBE (1945), and also served as the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Scots Fusiliers (1946–1957). In addition, he served at Windsor Castle as a Military Knight of Windsor, later being appointed Lieutenant Governor of the castle (1964–1972) and was created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1967. He died in 1986.

Awards and decorations

• Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (10 June 1967)
• Companion of the Order of the Bath (5 July 1945)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (8 June 1944)
• Military Cross (1 February 1919) "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the nine miles' advance east of Ypres on 28th, -29th and 30th September, 1918. On the 28th he successfully filled a gap in the front line at a critical moment. On the 29th, when he was the only platoon officer left in his company, he took command of two platoons, and showed admirable coolness and determination in dealing with machine-gun nests, which were holding up the company on his right."
• Distinguished Service Order (11 February 1943)
• Mentioned in Despatches twice (9 August 1945 and 4 April 1946)
• 1914-1915 Star
• British War Medal
• Victory Medal
• Commander with Star of the Royal Order of St Olav (Norway, 19 March 1948)
• Grand Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands, 14 November 1947)

References

Honorary titles
Preceded by The Lord Trenchard	Honorary Colonel of the Royal Scots Fusiliers 1946-1957	Succeeded by Unknown
Military offices
Preceded by Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie	GOC, 52nd Division 1943–1946	Succeeded by Robert Elliott Urquhart