Rupert Alexander Alec-Smith, TD (5 September 1913,

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

– 23 December 1983,

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

, Yorkshire) was an Englishman with an abiding interest in local history and founded the

Georgian Society for East Yorkshire The Georgian Society for East Yorkshire is the oldest group or society in the United Kingdom dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of Georgian architecture. The society is based in the East Riding of Yorkshire and is concerned with the pre ...

in 1937. In the

Second World War 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 ...

, he served with the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. In 1945 he stood for parliament at the general election for the Conservative Party in

Kingston upon Hull East Kingston upon Hull East is a borough constituency for the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years by the first-past-the-post electoral system. The constitu ...

. He came second in a three-way contest. In 1946, he bought the Old Rectory at

Winestead Winestead is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately south-east of the town of Hedon and north-west of the village of Patrington. It is situated to the north of the A10 ...

and employed Francis Johnson to restore it. He filled the Rectory with fittings from demolished Georgian buildings and began collecting memorabilia of the Maister family. He was Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull in 1970–71,

High Sheriff of Humberside The High Sheriff of Humberside was a High Sheriff title which was in existence from 1974 until 1996, covering the former county of Humberside, England. The county of Humberside was formed from most of the East Riding of Yorkshire and parts of Lin ...

in 1975 and made

Lord Lieutenant of Humberside The Lord Lieutenants of Humberside. The office was created on 1 April 1974, and abolished on 31 March 1996. In 1996 the Lord Lieutenancy of the East Riding of Yorkshire was restored, covering what was northern Humberside. The southern part was ...

in 1980. His wife was Suzette Genevieve Alec-Smith (1918–1999). His papers at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

include items from the fourteenth century onward, including title deeds, settlements, rentals, enclosure acts, maps and plans and house sale catalogues for East Yorkshire including manorial records 1647–1927 for

Elstronwick Elstronwick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately north-east of the town of Hedon and north-west of the village of Burton Pidsea. The civil paris ...

. Personal papers include over 500 letters of his parents, Alexander Alec-Smith and Adelaide Alec-Smith (née Horsley), largely sent during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and about 300 letters Rupert Alec-Smith sent during the

. His journals and diaries survive for 1937–1970 as does his correspondence with good friend

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

from 1954 to 1973.

References

1913 births 1983 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Green Howards officers Mayors of Kingston upon Hull Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates 20th-century English historians {{England-mayor-stub