Archibald Bisset Smith VC (19 December 1878 – 10 March 1917) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. Smith is one of only two members of the UK Merchant Navy to have been awarded the VC for his First World War service.

World War I action and Victoria Cross

Smith received this award for his action as

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of the

New Zealand Shipping Company The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973. A group of Christchurch businessmen founded the company in 1873, similar ...

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

. On 10 March 1917 in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, ''Otaki'', armed with one 4.7-inch gun, sighted the German

merchant raider Merchant raiders are armed commerce raiding ships that disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels. History Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I (1914–1918), and again early in World War II (1939–1945). The cap ...

, which was armed with four 150 mm, one

105 mm 105 mm (4.1 in) is a common NATO-standard artillery and tank gun calibre. The rifled tank round is defined by STANAG 4458. The artillery round is defined by AOP-29 part 3 with reference to STANAG 4425. Artillery Since the early 21st century, mos ...

guns and two 500 mm torpedo launchers. The raider ordered ''Otaki'' to stop but Captain Smith refused. A duel ensued, during which ''Otaki'' secured a number of hits and caused ''Möwe'' considerable damage, but ''Otaki'' sustained much damage and was on fire. Captain Smith therefore ordered his crew to abandon ship, but he himself stayed aboard and went down with his ship. His citation reads: As a Merchant officer, Smith could not receive the VC at that time. In 1919 he was posthumously commissioned as a temporary

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

, which entitled him to receive the VC posthumously. As a British Merchant seafarer with no known grave, Smith is commemorated on the

Tower Hill Memorial The Tower Hill Memorial is a pair of Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials in Trinity Square Gardens, on Tower Hill in London, England. The memorials, one for the First World War and one for the Second, commemorate civilian, merchant seaf ...

. On 10 March 2017 a memorial stone was laid at Schoolhill, Aberdeen, to commemorate the centenary of his action. His VC is preserved at the P&O Heritage Collection in London.

Personal life

Smith was born at Cosie Brae in Cults on 19 December 1878, one of five children of William Smith, an accountant and wholesale merchant, and Annie Smith (née Nicol), both originally from Rhynie. William Smith was a descendant of Bold Peter Smith, a Jacobite killed at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

.Archibald Bisset Smith VC
,"

Robert Gordon's College Robert Gordon's College is a co-educational private school for day pupils in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery through to S6. History Background Robert Gordon, an Aberdeen merchant, made his fortune in 18th cent ...

website. Retrieved 28 July 2018. Archibald was a student at

before joining the Merchant Navy in 1895. He gained his Master's ticket in 1903 while serving with the

, and served on the steamers ''Waikato'', ''Rakaia'', ''Waimate'' and ''Turakina''. Shortly before World War I, Smith married Edith Clulee (née Powell), whom he had met while working in

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers () is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The or ...

, New Zealand. She had a son, Alfred, from a previous marriage. Alfred later took his stepfather's surname.

Legacy

In November 1917 Smith was awarded a posthumous commendation. After the

armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

more details of the battle reached the UK authorities. ''Möwe''s captain,

Nikolaus zu Dohna-Schlodien Nikolaus Burgrave, Burggraf und Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien (5 April 1879 – 21 August 1956) was a German naval officer and author. Biography Nikolaus zu Dohna-Schlodien was born in Małomice, Mallmitz (today Małomice, Poland) to Alfred zu Dohna ...

, described ''Otaki''s resistance as "a duel as gallant as naval history can relate". In May 1919 Smith was posthumously awarded the

. King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

presented Smith's VC to Edith and Alfred at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. After Edith's death in 1951, Alfred sold the VC and Archibald's other medals (the British War Medal, Victory Medal, and Mercantile Marine Medal) to the New Zealand Shipping Company for £ 125. In 1937 his family presented the Otaki Shield to Robert Gordon's College, to be an annual award to the senior boy who is judged "pre-eminent in character, in leadership and in athletics". The shield is accompanied by the prize of six weeks in New Zealand as Otaki Scholar, visiting various schools as a "roving ambassador" for the college.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Archibald Bisset 1878 births 1917 deaths British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Captains who went down with the ship Civilians killed in World War I Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Cults British Merchant Navy officers People educated at Robert Gordon's College British Merchant Service personnel of World War I People lost at sea Royal Naval Reserve personnel Scottish naval personnel