Sandy Smith (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major
Richard Arthur Amyas Smith MC
(4 March 1922 - 27 April 1993) was a British Army
officer who was awarded a Military Cross
for gallantry and leadership whilst serving as a platoon
commander in the coup de main operation by British gliderborne troops tasked to capture Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge during the opening minutes of D-Day
, 6 June 1944.
On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Smith's platoon was in the 3rd Glider to land at Pegasus Bridge, landing at 00.18hrs. He received a knee injury on landing however he and his No 3 platoon crossed the bridge and established defensive positions to reinforce Lieutenant Den Brotheridge's No 1 Platoon. He was wounded in the wrist by a grenade and after Brotheridge had been killed he also took over command of No 1 platoon on the Western side of the bridge. After the bridge had been secured he agreed to be moved to a First Aid post in Ranville. He was awarded a Military Cross for his gallantry and leadership whilst injured. The operation to capture both bridges was portrayed in the film The Longest Day (1962).
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Richard Arthur Amyas Smith 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....
(4 March 1922 - 27 April 1993) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who was awarded a 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 gallantry and leadership whilst serving as a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
commander in the coup de main operation by British gliderborne troops tasked to capture Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge during the opening minutes of D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
, 6 June 1944.
Early life
Smith was born in Karachi, India. He was educated at Tonbridge School and St John's College Cambridge University where he took a degree in History. He represented the Public Schools at Lord's Cricket Ground before the outbreak of the Second World War and had the highest scoring rate of any Public School batsman. He later represented Cambridge University at Rugby. Smith was commissioned into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in March 1943. He was posted to the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd) and placed in command of No 14 platoon B Company. The 2nd Ox and Bucks formed part of 6 Airlanding Brigade, 6 Airborne Division.Pegasus Bridge
Smith and his platoon were attached to Major John Howard's D Company 2nd Ox and Bucks who were to lead the gliderborne coup de main operation on D-Day to capture Benouville bridge over the Caen canal, now known as Pegasus Bridge and Ranville bridge over the River Orne, now known as Horsa Bridge. Smith's platoon was one of three platoons tasked to capture Pegasus Bridge before the main assault on the Normandy beaches began.On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Smith's platoon was in the 3rd Glider to land at Pegasus Bridge, landing at 00.18hrs. He received a knee injury on landing however he and his No 3 platoon crossed the bridge and established defensive positions to reinforce Lieutenant Den Brotheridge's No 1 Platoon. He was wounded in the wrist by a grenade and after Brotheridge had been killed he also took over command of No 1 platoon on the Western side of the bridge. After the bridge had been secured he agreed to be moved to a First Aid post in Ranville. He was awarded a Military Cross for his gallantry and leadership whilst injured. The operation to capture both bridges was portrayed in the film The Longest Day (1962).