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| Major George Osbert Stirling Smyth |
George Osbert Stirling Smyth was born at Kapurthala, Native State, Punjab, India on 27th January 1890, the youngest son of George and Helen Ferguson Smyth. His schooling consisted of a period (1903 to 1904, register number 782) at Campbell College, Belfast. From 1904 to 1908 he, like his brother before him, became a private pupil of W T Kirkpatrick before going on to Shasta House in Cheshire.
Osbert was a giant of a man, with a chest measurement of 33ins to 35'/2ins, a weight of 9i/a stone and a height of 6ft 9'/2ins at the age of 18 years (according to his military records). He was also extremely intelligent, being a first-class interpreter of Hindustani and a proficient interpreter of Persian. He could also interpret French and became Interpreter to the 160th Brigade, Royal Artillery.
He was admitted to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1907. While at Woolwich his mother wrote to the Commandant of the Academy stating that she wanted her son's name changed. She requested that Stirling be replaced by Ferguson, a request that was turned down.
Osbert was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich on 23rd December 1909 as a 2nd Lieutenant and posted to 62nd Battery of 3rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery in India. He took ill in India with malaria, resulting in him becoming very anaemic and suffering the symptoms of asthenia. Like his brother Gerald, promotion through the ranks was rapid. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 23rd December 1912, to Captain on 23rd December 1915 and to Brevet Major on 3rd June 1919.
He signed up for War service and was injured in early 1914, being treated at the Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital, London on 14th August 1914. Whilst recovering, he was under the supervision of a physician called Ronald Ross KCB FRCS at Cavendish Square, London, before returning for duty to the front on 1st October 1914.
He joined the 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division of the lsl Army, being wounded on 29th October 1915 and again on 21st December 1915 by shrapnel pieces in the middle of his back and in his left arm, where the metal lodged below his elbow. He was operated on the next day and suffered loss of sensation due to nerve damage for the next six months. He was unable to flex his left elbow and had a weak handgrip, namely muscular spiral paralysis which prevented him from bending his arm beyond a right angle. He was to endure this until his death, carrying his arm in a sling for a period of time, although he did gain very slight use of his arm and hand in 1919. Osbert was sent back home to recuperate, going to 'Ardnabannon', the Annsborough home of his cousin Mr J W Murland.
On 3rd June 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross in the King's Birthday Honours, and on 10th September 1918 he was awarded the DSO, the citation reading as follows:
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Under heavy shelling he went along the Battery and put out ammunition that had been set on fire and with three remaining guns fired on the approaching enemy with open sights, inflicting heavy casualties. Next day, by collecting men near him and machine guns, he held up the enemy for hours."
He received the Mons Star and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, being decorated with his award by the President of the French Republic. He was wounded three times (twice severely), mentioned five times in Dispatches and gassed twice.
Distribution lists published in July 1920 stated that he was a Brigade Major serving in Egypt with the 33rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, having been posted there in July 1919 as reinforcements for regimental duty with the Egyptian Army. Eleven days after the murder of his brother Gerald, Osbert left his unit, sailing from Alexandria on 30th July and arriving in Folkestone on 10th August where he was posted to home establishment. He had insisted on this transfer in order to help crush the rebellion in Ireland, becoming part of a team of 11 hand-picked Officers who were known to Sinn Fein as the "The Cairo Gang.'
On 12th October 1920 at 2am, he and a group of soldiers went to the house of a Professor Carolan in Fernside, Drumcondra, Dublin. The Professor let them into his house, where they went firstly to Carolan's bedroom in which his wife was sleeping. They then went to the second flight of stairs and it was there that Osbert was murdered, along with Captain A P White of the Surrey Yeomanry. There were nine witnesses to the incident. Both men were believed to have been shot by Sean Treacy and possibly Dan Breen. Treacy boasted that he had attended Osbert's funeral and, if that were the case, it may well have been an ill-omen for him as he was shot and died in the gutter on a Dublin street two days later. Dan Breen fared better; when the new Irish Free State Government was formed he became one of its Ministers.
A court of inquiry was held with regard to the deaths of Osbert and Captain White in the King George V Hospital, presided over by Major Harding DSO MC of the Royal Garrison Artillery. Captain R F Bridges RAMC examined the two men's bodies. The examination on Osbert's body showed that a bullet had gone through his chest, through his liver and exited from the right side of his back. The second bullet went through his back from the left side, through his right lung and then through a vertebra. Death was due to shock and haemorrhage. He had served 11 years in the Army. His body was removed from the King George V Military Hospital with full military honours and placed in a mortuary van attached to the train at Amiens Street Station from whence it was taken to Banbridge.
His will, which was read at Castle Barracks, Dublin, stated that his decorations were to be disposed of, but fortunately this did not happen and they still remain in family ownership. The rest of his effects were sent to Mr J W Murland, ' Ardnabannon', Annsborough, County Down.
Banbridge Urban District Council called a special meeting at which a resolution was adopted expressing sympathy with the mother and other relatives of the late Major Smyth on their second terrible bereavement within the period of three months. Merchants and householders were requested to close their respective establishments during the passing of the funeral through the streets.
Like Gerald, Osbert was taken from Clonaslee on Friday 15th and interred in Banbridge Municipal Cemetery. As the coffin was removed from the house, a guard of honour from the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, with Band and Buglers under the command of Major Ackland DSO MC, stood for the salute. Placed on his coffin was a beautiful laurel wreath with white lilies from his mother and the inscription read: "To the most devoted and loving son that ever lived." The inscription on the coffin lid read:
CAPTAIN (BREVET MAJOR)
GEORGE OSBERT STIRLING SMYTH
DSO MC
ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY
DIED 12th OCTOBER 1920
AGED 30 YEARS.
The military marched with guns reversed and preceded the gun carriage. Directly behind the gun carriage a Sergeant walked with Osbert's dog, a rough-coated terrier. After that came the main mourners - his uncles Howard Ferguson JP, Stanley Ferguson, Norman Dickson Ferguson and his cousins Captain Thomas Dickson Ferguson MC, James Dickson Ferguson, Thomas J Ferguson and Stanley Carr Ferguson. His other uncle, Thomas Spencer Ferguson, was in America at this time. From the Murland family there was Mr J W Murland, Captain Warren Murland and Captain Charles H Murland. The Smyth family were represented by Osbert's cousins, Dr Malcolm Brice Srnyth, David Wilson Smyth and Brice (7) Smyth.
Other mourners included the Police Advisor, Major General H H Tudor CB CMG, Brigadier-General Sir William Hacket Pain KBE CB (Divisional Police Commissioner for the North of Ireland), General Boyd, Captain S D Graham (Royal Field Artillery from Headquarters 1st Division, Belfast), Captain K B Harbond, Lieutenant G A McSwiney MC and Lieutenant R M Carr representing the 33rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery in which Osbert had served. Major Robertson (Military Secretary) represented the Commander in Chief of the Forces in Ireland. As well as this, District Inspector Lenthall and a detachment of the Dublin Military Police, under the Chief Commissioner Colonel Edgeworth Johnstone attended. There was also a strong representation of the Royal Irish Constabulary headed by Commissioner Price and under District Inspectors Sidley and Miller. District Inspector Major C Leslie Roberts MC was in charge of the local Police and Colonel Harrison and Captain Walsh represented the Comrades of the Great War.
The route to the cemetery was lined with thousands of sympathisers, many of whom were unable to hide their grief. The Band of the Wiltshire and Worcestershire Regiments played the 'Death March' from Handel's oratorio 'Saul.' Troops formed a guard of honour from the gates of the cemetery to the graveside where the Rev Charles T P Grierson BD, Lord Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore and the Rev D H Hanson from Larne, Chaplain to the Forces, conducted the final service. Three volleys of shots were fired over the grave and the 'Last Post' sounded.
Amongst the many wreaths was one that bore the touching inscription:
"From a soldier to another, in loving memory of a gallant soldier."
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