Sir (Charles) Robert Smith (13 November 1887 – 4 November 1959) was a British
Governor of North Borneo
The Governor of North Borneo was the appointed head of the government of North Borneo.
Originally the Governor was appointed by the North Borneo Chartered Company, which was responsible for the administration of the protectorate. Upon North Bor ...
from 1937 until 18 January 1942, and again from 11 September 1945 until October 1946. During the period from 1942–1945 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, North Borneo was under
Japanese occupation and Smith's Governorship was suspended.
Smith was educated at
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553 ...
, and joined the North Borneo Civil Service as a cadet in 1913. He was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of North Borneo in 1937. He was awarded the
CMG in 1941.
Smith was interned by the Japanese at
Berhala Island near Sandakan in North Borneo and then at
Batu Lintang camp
Batu Lintang camp (also known as Lintang Barracks and Kuching POW camp) at Kuching, Sarawak on the island of Borneo was a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War. It was unusual in that it housed both Allied prisoners of war (POWs) ...
, Sarawak, Borneo, from 18 January 1942 until May 1943, after which time he was transferred to another camp in
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...
, and he was in a camp in
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...
in late 1943.
After the war he took up his position as Governor briefly, before retiring in October 1946. He was awarded the
KBE in 1947, and died in 1959.
Marriages
Smith married twice. In 1920 he married Violet Mure Slight, and they had a son and a daughter. In 1948 he married Gwendoline Jessie Holdcroft.
["Smith, Sir (Charles) Robert" in ''Who Was Who'', 2008]
References
*"Smith, Sir (Charles) Robert" in ''Who Was Who'', 2008, A&C Black
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert
1887 births
1959 deaths
People educated at Christ's Hospital
North Borneo Chartered Company administrators
Governors of North Borneo
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan
Internees at Batu Lintang camp