Family, childhood and adolescence Ian Smith

ian smith s parents, jock , agnes, in 1935. jock emigrated rhodesia scotland in 1898; agnes arrived england in 1906.

ian douglas smith born on 8 april 1919 in selukwe, small mining , farming town 310 km (190 mi) southwest of southern rhodesian capital salisbury. had 2 elder sisters, phyllis , joan. father, john douglas jock smith, came hamilton, scotland; son of cattle breeder , butcher, had emigrated rhodesia eighteen-year-old in 1898, , become prominent rancher, butcher, miner , garage owner in selukwe. jock , english wife, agnes (née hodgson), had met in 1907, when sixteen, year after family s emigration selukwe frizington, cumberland. after mr hodgson sent wife , children england in 1908, jock smith astonished them in 1911 arriving unannounced in cumberland ask agnes hand; had not seen each other 3 years. married in frizington, returned rhodesia, jock, accomplished horseman, won 1911 coronation derby @ salisbury. ian smith lifelong, devout presbyterian. adult, regularly attended church wife , served elder.

the smiths involved heavily in local affairs. jock chaired village management board , commanded selukwe company of southern rhodesia volunteers; became founder member of selukwe freemasons lodge , president of town s football , rugby clubs. agnes, became informally known mrs jock , established , ran selukwe women s institute. both won mbe (at different times) services community. parents strove instil principles , moral virtues, sense of right , wrong, of integrity, in children, ian smith wrote in memoirs. set wonderful examples live to. considered father man of extremely strong principles — 1 of fairest men have ever met , way brought me up. told me re entitled our half of country , blacks entitled theirs. raised on frontier of british empire in uk s youngest settler colony, smith , generation of white rhodesians grew reputation being more british british , in took great pride.

ian smith showed sporting promise age. after attending selukwe primary school, boarded @ chaplin school in gwelo, 30 km (19 mi) away. in final year @ chaplin, head prefect, captain of school teams in cricket, rugby , tennis, recipient of victor ludorum in athletics, , school s outstanding rifle marksman. absolute lunatic sport, later said; concede, looking back, should have devoted more time school work , less sport. same, grades enough win place @ rhodes university college, in grahamstown in south africa, attended rhodesian students—partly because rhodesia had no university of own, , partly because of common eponymous association cecil rhodes. smith enrolled @ start of 1938, reading bachelor of commerce degree. after injuring knee playing rugby, took rowing , became stroke university crew.

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