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Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

HAKEWILL-SMITH, Maj Gen Sir Edmund (1896-1986)


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0099 KCLMA Hakewill-Smith

Held at: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London

Title: HAKEWILL-SMITH, Maj Gen Sir Edmund (1896-1986)

Date(s): 1944, 1947

Level of description: Collection (Fonds)

Extent: 3 boxes or 0.03 cubic metres

Name of creator(s): Smith | Sir | Edmund Hakewill- | 1896-1986 | Major General

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born 1896; educated at Diocesan College, South Africa and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; served in World War One, 1914-1918; commissioned into the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1915; service on Western Front, 1915-1919; British Military Mission, South Russia, 1920; Aide de Camp to Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland, Governor of Bengal, India, 1921-1922; Adjutant, 2 Bn, Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1927-1930; Staff College, Quetta, India, 1930-1932; Staff Capt, War Office, 1934-1936; employed on Air Staff Duties, RAF, 1936-1937; Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, War Office, 1938-1940; served in World War Two, 1939-1945; Commanding Officer, 5 Bn, The Devonshire Regt, 1940; Commanding Officer, 4/5 Bn, Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1940-1941; commanded 157 Infantry Bde, 1941-1942; Maj Gen, Director of Organisation, War Office, 1942-1943; commanded 155 Infantry Bde, 1943; General Officer Commanding, 52 Lowland Div, 1943-1946; awarded CBE, 1944; North West Europe campaign, 1944-1945; awarded CB, 1945; commanded Lowland District, Scotland, 1946; Col, The Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1946-1957; President of Military Court for War Crimes trial of German FM Albert von Kesselring, Venice, Italy, May 1947; retired 1949; Governor, Military Knights of Windsor, 1951-1978; Berkshire County Commandant, Army Cadet Force, 1952-1957; Deputy Constable and Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle, 1964-1972; created KCVO, 1967; died 1986.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers relating to Maj Gen Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith's service as President of the Military Court for the War Crimes trial of German FM Albert von Kesselring, Venice, Italy, May 1947, including typescript official transcripts of days 3-28 and 40-43 of the trial, 1947; typescript texts of prosecuting counsel's closing address and the defence summing up, May 1947; file of papers entitled 'Abstract of evidence in the case of Albert Kesselring', containing affidavits, original charge sheets and notes, 1947; file of exhibits prepared for the trial, 1947; Kesselring's typescript deposition and statements with affidavits of witnesses and articles on legal issues, 1947; Hakewill-Smith's typescript transcripts of the interrogations of witnesses, 1947; seven of Hakewill-Smith's notebooks of manuscript transcripts and observations during the trial, 1947; manuscript notes taken by Hakewill-Smith during the trial, 1947; typescript administrative orders on arrangements before and after the trial, 1947; copies of Hakewill-Smith's letters of thanks to British personnel involved in trial, 1947; four letters from British personnel relating to Kesselring's trial, 1947; three typescript 'General Headquarters Civil Liaison Summary of Press and Public Opinion', Feb 1947; three letters from Italian civilians relating to the trial, with formal request to be included in the firing squad if Kesselring was found guilty, 1947; translated extract from Italian newspaper, Feb 1947, and edition of Corriere d'Informazione 5-6 Mar 1947; Union Jack, Trieste edition, 8 Mar 1947; printed map, dated 1944, of the region around Florence, Italy, annotated with the stages of the German retreat, 1944-1945.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English, some Italian.

System of arrangement:

The collection is arranged as outlined above.

Conditions governing access:

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Placed in the Centre by the family in 1986.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

LIDDELL HART CENTRE FOR MILITARY ARCHIVES, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (GB0099) The papers of Capt Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart include correspondence with Hakewill-Smith, 1951-1958 (Ref: LH 1/344).

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES, PHOTOGRAPHS, FILM AND SOUND, NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM, LONDON, (GB0063) holds Maj Gen Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith's correspondence and papers, 1915-1982, (Ref: 9012/28).

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Date(s) of descriptions: Oct 1999


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
War | International conflicts
War crimes | Humanitarian law
World War Two (1939-1945) | World wars (events) | Wars (events)

Personal names
Kesselring | Albert | 1885-1960 | German Field Marshal
Smith | Sir | Edmund | Hakewill- | 1896-1986 | Major General x Hakewill-Smith | Sir | Edmund

Corporate names

Places
Italy | Western Europe | Europe