David Smiley
Encyclopedia
Colonel
David de Crespigny Smiley, LVO
, OBE
, MC
& Bar
(11 April 1916 – 9 January 2009) was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in Palestine
, Iraq
, Persia, Syria
, Western Desert and with Special Operations Executive
(SOE) in Albania
and Thailand
.
, who was a noted jockey, balloonist, sportsman and adventurer.
His father fought in the Second Boer War
between 1899 and 1900 with 4th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
and before joining the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry (redesignated North Irish Horse
in 1908). He gained the rank of Major in the service of the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) and fought in World War I
.
David Smiley was educated at the Nautical College
, Pangbourne
, Berkshire, England, where he was a noted sportsman.
Some have suggested that John le Carré
unconsciously took David Smiley's surname for that of his hero George Smiley
.
in 1934, and was commissioned in the Royal Horse Guards
in 1936. Whilst based in Windsor, Berkshire
with the Blues, he was seen as a "man-about-town", owning a Bentley
car and a Miles Whitney Straight aircraft. He was also an amateur jockey and won seven races under National Hunt rules.
After the outbreak of World War II, his regiment sailed for Palestine
, where one of Smiley's first jobs was to shoot his troop of 40 horses when it became clear they were of no use in modern combat.
In 1940 Smiley joined the Somaliland Camel Corps
, but was to arrive at Berbera
the same day it was decided to evacuate British Somaliland
. He returned frustrated to Egypt where he persuaded family friend General Wavell
to recommend him for the newly-formed commandos. Smiley was appointed a company commander (with the rank of captain) with 52 Commando and his first mission was sneaking from Sudan into Abyssinia.
He fought against Vichy French forces in Syria
. For his reconnaissance work in ruins near Palmyra he was mentioned in despatches (Middle-East, 1941).
Smiley was recruited by the Special Operations Executive 1943 and undertook his first operation with them in Palestine in the same year. Later in the year he parachuted into Greece for another operation. In April 1944 Smiley and Lieutenant Colonel Neil " Billy" McLean
started an operation in Albania, for which Smiley was awarded the Military Cross
. He was awarded a second Military Cross
for SOE Operations in 1944.
He was invested as an Officer, Order of the British Empire
(O.B.E.) in 1946 (SOE, Thailand).
He was Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards
between December 1951 to December 1954. He rode behind The Queen
in the Gold State Coach
in the Coronation Procession
on 2 June 1953.
He was invested as a Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order
(L.V.O.) in 1952 and received the Coronation Medal.
He was British Military Attaché
to Stockholm between 1955 and 1958.
After the war, he held the record for the most falls in one season on the Cresta Run
in St Moritz; bizarrely, he represented Kenya (where he owned a farm) in the Commonwealth Winter Games of 1960.
He was Commander of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman's Armed Forces between 1958 and 1961.
He was Military Advisor to Yemen between 1962 and 1967.
Smiley died on 9 January 2009, survived by his second wife, Moyra (daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Sir Francis George Montagu Douglas Scott KCMG DSO, the 6th Duke of Buccleuch's youngest son, and Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound - married 28 April 1947) two sons, Xan de Crespigny Smiley (born 1 May 1949) and Philip David Smiley (born 26 Aug 1951), a stepson and a stepdaughter.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
David de Crespigny Smiley, LVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(11 April 1916 – 9 January 2009) was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Persia, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Western Desert and with Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Background
Smiley was the 4th and youngest son of Sir John Smiley, 2nd Baronet and Valerie Champion de Crespigny, youngest daughter of Sir Claude Champion de CrespignyClaude Champion de Crespigny
Capt. Claude Champion de Crespigny was a British soldier, polo player and son of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny 4th Baronet.-Biography:...
, who was a noted jockey, balloonist, sportsman and adventurer.
His father fought in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
between 1899 and 1900 with 4th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
and before joining the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry (redesignated North Irish Horse
North Irish Horse
The North Irish Horse is a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War...
in 1908). He gained the rank of Major in the service of the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) and fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
David Smiley was educated at the Nautical College
Pangbourne College
Pangbourne College is a coeducational independent school located in the civil parish of Pangbourne, just South West of the village, in the English County of Berkshire....
, Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
, Berkshire, England, where he was a noted sportsman.
Some have suggested that John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
unconsciously took David Smiley's surname for that of his hero George Smiley
George Smiley
George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency...
.
Military service
Smiley attended Royal Military College, SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 1934, and was commissioned in the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
in 1936. Whilst based in Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
with the Blues, he was seen as a "man-about-town", owning a Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
car and a Miles Whitney Straight aircraft. He was also an amateur jockey and won seven races under National Hunt rules.
After the outbreak of World War II, his regiment sailed for Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, where one of Smiley's first jobs was to shoot his troop of 40 horses when it became clear they were of no use in modern combat.
In 1940 Smiley joined the Somaliland Camel Corps
Somaliland Camel Corps
The Somaliland Camel Corps was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland from the early 20th century until the 1960s.Camels are a necessity in East Africa, being as important as ponies are in Mongolia...
, but was to arrive at Berbera
Berbera
Berbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...
the same day it was decided to evacuate British Somaliland
British Somaliland
British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...
. He returned frustrated to Egypt where he persuaded family friend General Wavell
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army...
to recommend him for the newly-formed commandos. Smiley was appointed a company commander (with the rank of captain) with 52 Commando and his first mission was sneaking from Sudan into Abyssinia.
He fought against Vichy French forces in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. For his reconnaissance work in ruins near Palmyra he was mentioned in despatches (Middle-East, 1941).
Smiley was recruited by the Special Operations Executive 1943 and undertook his first operation with them in Palestine in the same year. Later in the year he parachuted into Greece for another operation. In April 1944 Smiley and Lieutenant Colonel Neil " Billy" McLean
Neil McLean (politician)
Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Loudon Desmond McLean DSO, known as Billy McLean , was a British Army intelligence officer and politician who led a celebrated Special Operations Executive operation in Albania during the Second World War, and later attempted to overthrow Communism in the country...
started an operation in Albania, for which Smiley was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. He was awarded a second Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
for SOE Operations in 1944.
He was invested as an Officer, Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(O.B.E.) in 1946 (SOE, Thailand).
He was Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
between December 1951 to December 1954. He rode behind The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in the Gold State Coach
Gold State Coach
The Gold State Coach is an enclosed, eight horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family. It was built in the London workshops of Samuel Butler in 1762 and has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV...
in the Coronation Procession
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
on 2 June 1953.
He was invested as a Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(L.V.O.) in 1952 and received the Coronation Medal.
He was British Military Attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to Stockholm between 1955 and 1958.
After the war, he held the record for the most falls in one season on the Cresta Run
Cresta Run
The Cresta Run is a natural ice 1,212.5 m long skeleton racing toboggan track in the Swiss winter sports town of St. Moritz, and one of the few runs dedicated primarily to skeleton. It was built in 1884 near the hamlet of Cresta in the municipality of Celerina/Schlarigna by Major Bulpett, eventual...
in St Moritz; bizarrely, he represented Kenya (where he owned a farm) in the Commonwealth Winter Games of 1960.
He was Commander of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman's Armed Forces between 1958 and 1961.
He was Military Advisor to Yemen between 1962 and 1967.
Later work
Smiley was the author of three books based on his experiences, Arabian Assignment, Albanian Assignment and Irregular Regular.Smiley died on 9 January 2009, survived by his second wife, Moyra (daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Sir Francis George Montagu Douglas Scott KCMG DSO, the 6th Duke of Buccleuch's youngest son, and Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound - married 28 April 1947) two sons, Xan de Crespigny Smiley (born 1 May 1949) and Philip David Smiley (born 26 Aug 1951), a stepson and a stepdaughter.
Awards and decorations
- Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
- Mentioned in Despatches 1941 - for operations in the Middle-East
- Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
1943 - SOE operations in Albania - Bar to the Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
- 1944 - French Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
1945 - Indochina - Officer, Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
1946 - SOE operations in Thailand - He was admitted to Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at ArmsHonourable Corps of Gentlemen at ArmsHer Majesty's Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834 they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners.-Formation:...
in 1966.
The QUEEN has been graciously pleased, on the recommendation of the Lord Shepherd, the Captain,
to make the following promotions in and appointment to Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable
Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms:
...
Colonel David de Crespigny Smiley, MVO, OBE, MC, late Royal Horse Guards, to be one of Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in the room of Brigadier John Norman Cheney, OBE, promoted.
- Knight Commander, Order of the SwordOrder of the SwordThe Order of the Sword is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star.Awarded to officers, and originally intended as an award for bravery and particularly long or useful service, it...
of Sweden - Grand Cordon, Order of SkanderbegOrder of SkanderbegThe Order of Skanderbeg was instituted in 1925 as an Order of Merit of the Republic of Albania. It was abolished the Communist government in 1945 and replaced by a newaward of the same name. Skanderbeg is the national hero of the Albanian people....
of Albania - Order of Freedom of Albania (1st Class)