Thomas Duncan Rhind

John Rhind's house designed by his young brother Thomas Duncan Rhind, Portland St, Leith

Thomas Duncan Rhind (14 July 1871 – 24 April 1927) was a Scottish architect and military figure. He was knighted in 1919 for services to his country.

Life

Thomas was the son of John Rhind a prominent Edinburgh sculptor. His older brothers William Birnie Rhind and John Massey Rhind each followed in their father’s footsteps to become sculptors.

Thomas instead chose architecture and after being educated at George Watson’s College he went to train as an architect under Hippolyte Blanc - an important Edinburgh architect specialising in churches. He stayed in his employment from 1887 to 1892.

He obtained a post with the London County Council Architectural Department briefly before moving to the firm of Gibson & Russell. He was elected ARIBA at the very young age of 24, a reflection upon his skills.

In 1898 he formed a partnership with a former student friend Robert Hamilton Paterson. This lasted only until 1906 and he thereafter practiced alone. In 1902 he married Mary Elizabeth Gilbert, eldest daughter of W. Matthews Gilbert, then the chief reporter of The Scotsman newspaper.

Clearly with family influence his work was highly sculptural, often working directly with family members to ornament a building.

Military career

He was a keen military volunteer and ranked as Major in the local volunteers. He was awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD). At the outbreak of the First World War he was appointed Commandant of Redford Barracks which then partially operated as a prisoner of war camp for German captives. His architectural work completely ceased at this point. In January 1916 he was awarded the CBE. Thereafter he adopted a role in the War Office in London under the Director of Recruiting, Sir Andrew Geddes. In 1917 he was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Assistant Adjutant General to the London-Scottish Regiment.

At the end of the war he was appointed Controller of Statistics to the Ministry of National Service, and subsequently rose to be Chief Controller.[1]

In 1919 he was knighted as a Knight of the British Empire (KBE).

He died in 1927 in a nursing home in Hove, Sussex indicating some infirmity had a risen as he was only 56. He is buried with his parents in Warriston Cemetery in Edinburgh.

Architectural Works

References

  1. ↑ Dictionary of Scottish Architects