Allegiance United Kingdom Service/branch British Army Battles and wars Crimean War | Name Leicester Smyth Battles/wars Crimean War Rank Lieutenant-general | |
 | ||
Buried at Gopsall, Leicestershire Commands held Western District
Cape Colony
Southern District Died January 27, 1891, London, United Kingdom Place of burial Gopsall, United Kingdom, Leicestershire, United Kingdom Awards Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George | ||
Lieutenant General Sir Leicester Smyth KCB KCMG (formerly Curzon-Howe) (25 October 1829 – 27 January 1891) was Governor of Gibraltar.
Contents
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 February 1866 he married Alicia Maria Smyth and in November 1866 he adopted his wife's maiden name as his own surname: they had no children.