From Ship's Cook to Baronet


Book Description

Sir William Reardon Smith (1856-1935) was one of the foremost figures in south Wales in the early twentieth century. His was a classic story of ‘rags to riches’ - starting life as a deck-hand and ship’s cook sailing from his native Appledore in 1870, he was a master mariner at the age of twenty-two and subsequently commanded many of the fine sailing ships owned by Hugh Hogarth & Sons of Glasgow. A long-cherished ambition to become a shipowner was eventually realised in 1906 when he acquired his first steamship, City of Cardiff. The venture prospered and nine vessels were owned on the eve of the First World War. He subsequently showed great entrepreneurial initiative during the depression, acquiring motor vessels and establishing new trade routes. He is also remembered as a great philanthropist, particularly through his association with the National Museum of Wales – during his term as treasurer (1925-28) and president (1928-32), he restored the museum’s faltering finances and enabled the construction of the it’s east wing which is now so integral a part of Cardiff’s dignified civic centre. His establishment of the Reardon Smith Nautical School in Cardiff in 1921 was another notable achievement; this school provided an opportunity for aspiring deck officers to learn the essential skills appropriate to their chosen careers. He also funded hospital developments in Cardiff and Bideford, and endowed the chair of geography at Exeter University. At the time of his death in December 1935, fulsome tributes were paid to him both by his fellow shipowners and by the principals of those organisations which had benefitted from his generosity; many of those who live in south Wales and the West country today still enjoy that legacy







Sino-British Negotiations and the Search for a Post-War Settlement, 1942–1949


Book Description

The book is a systematic study of the China-Britain relationship during the 1942–1949 period with a particular focus on the two countries’ discussions over both the 1943 Sino-British treaty and the discarded Sino-British commercial treaty, the future of Hong Kong, and the political status of Tibet. These were dominated by two underlying themes: the elimination of the British imperialist position in China and the establishment of an equal and reciprocal bilateral relationship. The negotiations started promisingly in 1942–1943, but, by 1949, had failed to reach a satisfactory settlement. Behind the failure lay a complex set of domestic considerations and external factors, including the powerful infl uence of the United States. Even after seven decades, the failure still has a contemporary impact. Recent Sino-British disputes over the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement and incessant Indo-Chinese confl icts and skirmishes over their unsettled borders all attest to the enduring legacy of the years 1942–1949 as setting the scene for subsequent Sino-British and Sino-Indian relations. From this perspective, the history has never left us.




Who's who


Book Description

An annual biographical dictionary, with which is incorporated "Men and women of the time."










Commerce Reports


Book Description