Matthew Skinner Smith (30 August 1836 – 18 April 1887)
[
] was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
officer and acting
Colonial Secretary of Western Australia
The colonial secretary of Western Australia was one of the most important and powerful public offices in Western Australia, in the time when Western Australia was a British colony. The colonial secretary was the representative of the British Col ...
from 1885 to 1887.
Smith was born in England; little is known of his early life. From 1854, he was an officer in the
44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot
The 44th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot to form the Essex Regiment in 1881.
History
Early history
The regim ...
; he served in the
Crimea
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
(where at the
Siege of Sevastopol he won the
Crimea Medal
The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...
and clasp, and the
Turkish Crimea Medal
The Turkish Crimean War Medal () is a campaign medal issued by Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire to allied military personnel involved in the Crimean War of 1854–56. It was only awarded to those who survived the war and not to next of ...
),
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, before retiring as a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
in 1867. That year, he married Elizabeth Nolan in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, England, and they had at least one son.
In June 1868, Smith emigrated to
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
on board ''Lady Louisa''. Smith had expected to become private secretary to Colonel
John Bruce John Bruce may refer to:
* Sir John Bruce, 2nd Baronet (before 1671–1711), Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland; MP
* John Bruce (historiographer) (1745–1826), Scottish politician, East India Company historiographer and Secretary to the ...
, who hoped to be appointed governor; however Bruce was not selected and Smith was employed as a bank clerk
[ for three years in the ]Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
branch of the National Bank of Australia
The National Bank of Australasia was a bank based in Melbourne. It was established in 1857, and in 1982 merged with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to form National Australia Bank.
History
In 1857, Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentleman ...
. In 1871, he became a Justice of the Peace, and thereafter he was Superintendent of Police
Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territori ...
[ from December 1871 until April 1887. From May 1876 until August 1877, he was also Sheriff of Western Australia. He was later responsible for setting up a Royal Mail Coach Service between Perth and Bunbury.
When the ]Colonial Secretary of Western Australia
The colonial secretary of Western Australia was one of the most important and powerful public offices in Western Australia, in the time when Western Australia was a British colony. The colonial secretary was the representative of the British Col ...
, Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
took leave, Smith was appointed acting Colonial Secretary on 8 December 1885. As acting Colonial Secretary, Smith was also entitled to a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council
The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Legislative A ...
, to which he was appointed on 18 June 1886. He held both positions until his death in Albany on 18 April 1887.[
]
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Matthew Skinner
1836 births
1887 deaths
Colonial secretaries of Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council
British Army personnel of the Crimean War
44th Regiment of Foot officers
British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia
Commissioners of Western Australia Police
19th-century Australian politicians