# James Stuart-Smith

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{{Short description|British judge and British Army officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = James Stuart-Smith
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|QC}}
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [brackets](/source/brackets) -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date    = 13 September 1919
| birth_place   = [Brighton](/source/Brighton), Sussex, England
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=y|15 May 2013|13 September 1919}}
| death_place   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = British judge and British Army officer
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}

'''James Stuart-Smith''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|QC}} (13 September 1919 – 15 May 2013) was a British judge and [British Army](/source/British_Army) officer. He served as [Judge Advocate General](/source/Judge_Advocate_General_of_the_Armed_Forces) from 1984 to 1991.

==Early life==
Stuart-Smith was born on 13 September 1919 in [Brighton](/source/Brighton), [Sussex](/source/Sussex), England.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph">{{cite news|title=James Stuart-Smith|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/law-obituaries/10137786/James-Stuart-Smith.html|accessdate=5 December 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=23 June 2013}}</ref> From 1933 to 1938, he was educated at [Brighton College](/source/Brighton_College), an [independent school](/source/independent_school_(UK)) in Brighton.<ref name="obit - The Times">{{cite news|title=James Stuart-Smith|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/james-stuart-smith-0s76txs5mtp|access-date=5 December 2013|newspaper=[The Times](/source/The_Times)|date=19 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="Old Brightonians">{{cite web |title=James Stuart-Smith (H. 1933-38) |url=https://www.oldbrightonians.com/news/12-deaths-obituaries/1057-james-stuart-smith.html |website=Old Brightonians - The Alumni of Brighton College |publisher=Brighton College |date=15 May 2013 |access-date=20 August 2023 |language=en-gb}}</ref> He went on to study medicine at the [London Hospital](/source/London_Hospital);<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> he had only completed one year of his study before the breakout of the Second World War.<ref name="WWW">{{cite web |title=Stuart-Smith, James, (13 Sept. 1919–15 May 2013), Judge Advocate General, 1984–91 (Vice Judge Advocate General, 1979–84); a Recorder, 1985–91 |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U36602 |website=[Who Was Who](/source/Who_Was_Who) |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=20 August 2023 |language=en |date=1 December 2016}}</ref>

==Career==

===Military service===
On 14 January 1940, Stuart-Smith was [commissioned](/source/commissioned_officer) into the [King's Royal Rifle Corps](/source/King's_Royal_Rifle_Corps), [British Army](/source/British_Army), with the rank of [second lieutenant](/source/second_lieutenant). He was given the [service number](/source/service_number) 113640.<ref name="LG 12 January 1940">{{London Gazette |issue=34772 |date=12 January 1940 |page=289 |supp=y }}</ref> In 1946, he was promoted to [lieutenant colonel](/source/Lieutenant_colonel_(United_Kingdom)).<ref name="obit - The Times" /> During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), he saw active service in Italy, Egypt and Palestine.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> He was [demobilised](/source/demobilised) in 1947.<ref name="WWW" />

===Law career===
Following the end of his military service, Stuart-Smith began his career in law. He was [called to the bar](/source/called_to_the_bar) at [Middle Temple](/source/Middle_Temple) in 1948.<ref name="obit - The Times" /> He practised as a [barrister](/source/barrister) from 1948 to 1955.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> During this part of his career, he defended one of the [Kray twins](/source/Kray_twins). He successfully convinced the jury to find him not guilty as it could not be proved [beyond reasonable doubt](/source/Legal_burden_of_proof) which of the identical twins did the crime.<ref name="obit - The Times" />

In 1955, Stuart-Smith joined the office of the [Judge Advocate General](/source/Judge_Advocate_General_of_the_Armed_Forces) as a legal assistant.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> He was appointed Deputy Judge Advocate in 1957.<ref name="obit - The Times" /> From 1964 to 1965, during the [Aden Emergency](/source/Aden_Emergency), he served in [Aden](/source/Aden) as the Senior Judge Advocate.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> Having returned to the UK, he was promoted to Assistant Judge Advocate General in 1968.<ref name="obit - The Times" /> He was once more posted abroad from 1976 to 1979 as the Senior Judge Advocate with the British Forces in Germany.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /> In 1981, he was promoted to Vice Judge Advocate General, the second most senior Judge Advocate General.<ref name="obit - The Times" /> He was promoted to Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces on 24 August 1984.<ref name="LG 29 August 1984">{{London Gazette |issue=49852 |date=29 August 1984 |page=11763 }}</ref> On 16 April 1985, he was appointed a [Recorder](/source/Recorder_(judge)).<ref name="LG 19 April 1985">{{London Gazette |issue=50097 |date=19 April 1985 |pages=5489–5490  }}</ref> He retired in 1991, having served as a military judge for 36 years and holding every appointment from the lowest to the highest.<ref name="obit - The Times" />

In addition to his career as a military judge, Stuart-Smith was involved with the ''International Society for Military Law and the Law of War'', serving as its vice-president from 1979 to 1985 and its president from 1985 to 1991.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" /><ref name="WWW" /> He was then made its honorary president, a title he held from 1991 until his death.<ref name="WWW" />

==Personal life==
In 1957, Stuart-Smith married Jean Groundsell. Together they had two children; a son and a daughter. His wife predeceased him.<ref name="obit - The Times" />

Stuart-Smith died on 15 May 2013.<ref name="obit - The Telegraph" />

==Honours==
Stuart-Smith was appointed [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) (CB) in the [1986 Birthday Honours](/source/1986_Birthday_Honours). He was appointed a [Queen's Counsel](/source/Queen's_Counsel) (QC) in 1988.<ref name="WWW" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/law-obituaries/10137786/James-Stuart-Smith.html Obituary - The Telegraph]
*[https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/james-stuart-smith-0s76txs5mtp Obituary - The Times]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart-Smith, James}}
Category:1919 births
Category:2013 deaths
Category:20th-century English judges
Category:People from Brighton
Category:People educated at Brighton College
Category:Alumni of the London Hospital Medical College
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
Category:British barristers
Category:Members of the Middle Temple
Category:British Army personnel of World War II
Category:English King's Counsel
Category:20th-century King's Counsel

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Stuart-Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stuart-Smith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stuart-Smith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.