F. H. Smiles (1862 – 10 May 1895) was a Scottish surveyor who was involved in the establishment of Siam's (now Thailand's) railway network at the end of the nineteenth century, and who pioneered work in mapping out the official boundaries of the Kingdom.
F. H. Smiles | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1862 |
| Died | 10 May 1895 Ban Chan, Cambodia |
| Burial place | Sanka, Cambodia |
| Occupation | Surveyor |
| Known for | Pioneer surveying and mapping in Siam |
Career
editF. H. Smiles AMICE was born in Edinburgh in 1862. He joined a civil engineer in Glasgow as a trainee surveyor and upon qualification joined Punchard, McTaggart, Lowther and Co. of London.[1]
In 1888, Punchard and Co. were awarded a contract by the Siamese Government for railway surveys and Smiles went to Siam to join Sir Andrew Clarke who had been commissioned by the government to formulate plans for the construction of a railway network in Siam. Whilst working as a member of Clarke's railway survey department of nine engineers, he surveyed many parts of the Kingdom including the route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.[1][2][3]
In November 1891, he joined the Royal Survey Department as assistant to the Director General, James McCarthy who, under instructions from the King Chulalongkorn who was seeking to modernise Siam, was carrying out an extensive survey of the country and its borders with a view to constructing an accurate map of Siam.[1][3][4]
Smiles spent three years carrying out survey work for the government in all parts of Siam. Whilst near Siem Reap (in present day Cambodia) he contracted dysentery at Ban Chan and died on 10 May 1895.[5] He was buried in the nearby town of Sanka.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "The Late Mr. F. H. Smiles". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). 29 May 1895. p. 3.
- ^ "Local and General". Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. 21 August 1888. p. 4.
- ^ a b Wright, Arnold; Breakspear, Oliver T. (1908). Twentieth century impressions of Siam: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, with which is incorporated an abridged edition of Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya. University of California Libraries. London [etc.] Lloyds Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd. p. 126.
- ^ Meinheit, Harold E. (2019-01-01). "The Man Who Mapped Siam Portolan 105 (Fall 2019)". The Portolan.
- ^ "Siam's Southern Railway". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). 4 September 1909. p. 10.