Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Edward Kenneth Smart, (23 May 1891 – 2 May 1961) was a career officer in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

, and subsequently a diplomat.

Early years

Ken Smart was born 23 May 1891 in

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

, an inner suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, and was educated at

Melbourne Church of England Grammar School Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian Independent school, independent Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and seni ...

. He was commissioned into the Corps of Australian Engineers as a second lieutenant on 18 July 1910. On 1 December he was promoted to lieutenant in the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery, and by 1914 was an officer of the Siege Artillery Brigade commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Walter Adams Coxen. On 12 June 1915 he married Phyllis E. Robertson.

Military career

First World War

Smart enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 21 May 1915, and on 17 July the Siege Artillery Brigade embarked upon HMAT ''Orsova'' (A67) from Melbourne, arriving England 25 August. Smart arrived in France on 2 March 1916, and saw action at Vimy Ridge in May before becoming involved in the Battle of the Somme from June 1916 to March 1917. In September 1916, during the course of heavy fighting in which he was wounded, his actions led to him being awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

. The citation reads: On 13 December 1916 he was appointed adjutant of the 36th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) and promoted to the rank of captain. During 1917 he was placed in command of 39th Battery, 10th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, 4th Australian Division, and saw action in Messines (May–June), near Nieuport (July) and near Dixmude (October). In November 1917 he took a position at headquarters 4th Divisional Artillery as a Brigade-Major Trainee, and in December he was mentioned in despatches. In April 1918 Smart took a position at headquarters

Australian Corps The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire in France. At its peak the Australian Corps numbered 10 ...

near Albert, and in June was promoted to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major, taking command of the 110th Howitzer Battery, 10th Australian Field Artillery Brigade. Involved in heavy fighting in August and September, he was seriously wounded on 27 September, and subsequently recommended for the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

. His service in the First World War resulted in nine entries in the Australian War Memorial's Honours and Awards database:

Inter-bellum

After discharge from the AIF, Smart remained in the army and from 31 May to 1 October 1919 attended Artillery College in England. He returned to Australia and, from 16 February to 10 September 1920, served as Officer Commanding No. 6 Company, Royal Australian Garrison Artillery, 3rd Military District in Victoria. Smart then returned to England until February 1925 where he served in a number of positions: On return to Australia, Smart served in a number of positions until January 1936: On 16 January 1936, Smart took up the position of Military Liaison Officer in the High Commissioner's Office in London, serving there until 25 August 1939, being promoted to brevet colonel in July 1937.

Second World War

On return to Australia, and the outbreak of the Second World War, on 13 October 1939 Smart was promoted to major general and appointed QuarterMaster General and 3rd Military Member of the Military Board at Army Headquarters in Melbourne. On 24 October 1940 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant general and appointed General Officer Commanding, Southern Command, and District Officer Commanding the 3rd Military District. In April 1942 he was made substantive lieutenant general and was appointed Australian Military Representative in Washington D.C., or Head of the Australian Military Mission to the United States. In August 1942 he was appointed Australian Army Representative in London; as well as being Head of the Australian Military Mission to the UK, he was Australia's representative on the Imperial War Council. He remained in this position until his retirement from the Australian Army on 2 July 1946.

Post-military career and personal life

From London Smart proceeded to San Francisco where he served as Australian Consul-General from 1946 to 1949, and then to New York, where he continued to serve as Australian Consul-General, from 1946 until his retirement in 1954. Smart married Phyllis E. Robertson, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel J. Robertson, on 12 June 1915. They had two children; a son and a daughter. Smart's recreations were walking and motoring, and his club was the Navy, Army and Air Force Club in Melbourne. SMART, Lieut.-General Edward Kenneth, Who's Who in Australia, 1947, pg.764; Who's Who in Australia, 1957. Available on-line a
ancestry.com
/ref> Smart died on 2 May 1961.Biographical cuttings on Edward Kenneth Smart, Lieutenant-General
National Library of Australia

Honours

Honours awarded to Ken Smart until 1920: * Dso-ribbon

Edward Kenneth Smart
, The AIF Project – AUSTRALIAN ANZACS IN THE GREAT WAR 1914–1918, adfa.edu.au * 1914-15 Star ribbon

1914–15 Star * BWM ribbon

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

Victory Medal Also, Mentioned in Despatches
28 December 1917
an
11 July 1919