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Quentin George Murray Smythe (6 August 1916 – 22 October 1997

Military career

During the Second World War, he served with the 1st Battalion Royal Natal Carabineers 1st SA Infantry Division, South African Forces in the East Africa Campaign against the Italians before moving to the Western Desert.

Victoria Cross

He was 25 years old, and a sergeant when the South African Forces were attacked near Alem Hamza in Libya. During the attack, Smythe realised that there was no officer to command his platoon and took charge himself. Although he had a wound in his forehead, causing much loss of blood, he managed single-handedly to obliterate a machine gun post, taking all the surviving crew prisoner. Then, again single-handedly and armed only with rifle and bayonet, he promptly did the same with an enemy anti-tank gun crew, after which he consolidated the position. However, because of the deterioration of the situation elsewhere, he found himself ordered to withdraw.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery, the citation was gazetted on 11 September 1942:

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thumb|Portrait of Sgt Quentin Smythe, awarded the Victoria Cross: Western Desert, 5 June 1942

Later life

He married Dale Griffiths, in 1945 (dissolved 1970); they had three sons and one daughter. He married Margaret Joan Shatwell in 1970; she died in 1980. He married his third wife, Patricia Stamper, in 1984.

The medal

Auctioned in UK 1998, the medal is now part of the Lord Ashcroft Collection at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Notes

References

  • Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
  • Sergeant Q.G.M. Smythe in The Art of War exhibition at the UK National Archives
  • News Item (obituary)
  • A List of South African-born Recipients of the Victoria Cross 1855-1945 by Ross Dix-Peek