Arthur Fitzroy Hart was born in Portsmouth on 4 May 1844. He was the son of Henry George Hart from an Irish family in co Wicklow, and Frances Alicia Okes. He was commissioned on 31 Dec 1864 into the 31st Regiment. His first active service was the Ashanti War of 1873-4 as a staff officer on special service. He was wounded and mentioned in despatches. In 1879 he went out to South Africa for the Zulu War and was mentioned again. He also served in the First Boer War from 1881-82. In 1882 he was in the Egypt Campaign, given brevet of lieutenant-colonel rank, and awarded 4th Class Order of the Osmanieh. He was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Battalion East Surreys in June 1891. In 1895 he was promoted to colonel and appointed AAG Belfast District until 1897. He was then promoted to major-general in 1898 and given command of 1st Infantry Brigade which he took to South Africa in 1899. He played a major part in the relief of Ladysmith. He married Mary May Seton Synnet from Ballymoyer, co Armagh, in 1868 and they had two sons and two daughters. On 17 Feb 1902 he was given a Royal Licence to change his name to Hart-Synnot and was authorised to bear the arms of Synnot quarterley with his own family arms. Their four children all bore the name Hart-Synnot from this date. Major-General Arthur Fitzroy Hart-Synnot CB CBE died on 29 April 1910 after an operation in London. The photo shows him c1891 as a lieutenant-colonel in the regimental full dress uniform of the East Surrey Regiment. The large medals are his CB and his Order of Osmanieh. He also has medals for the Ashanti War, the Zulu War and the Egypt Campaign.
