Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal immortalised as the "Cheeryble Brothers" in Charles Dickens' book, Nicholas Nickleby. Donald's mother was the sister of the Canadian explorer John Stuart, partner of the North West Company who rose to become Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Smith was educated at Anderson's Free School and on leaving at age sixteen he was apprenticed to become a lawyer in the offices of Robert Watson, Town Clerk of Forres. By the age of eighteen, Smith chose another career path: offered entry into mercantile life at Manchester, and a career in the Indian Civil Service, his choice was to pattern himself
USS Dickens (APA-161) one to Pearl Harbor, to bring home returning veterans until 4 March when she sailed for the east coast. Arriving at Norfolk 23 March, "Dickens" was decommissioned there 21 May 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day. Ex-"Dickens" was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in James River, Virginia. Between 22 July and 14 October 1955 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet for a Repair Program, GAA- South Atlantic SS, and returned. Ex-"Dickens" was sold for $310,989 to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. for scrapping on 7 May 1974. At 1300 EDT, on 18 June