Harry A Smith

Harry A Smith enlisted with The 70th (Young Soldiers) The Suffolk Regiment 14 February 1941. He volunteered for the airborne forces  24 October 1942.

Harry was successfully parachute jump trained at RAF Ringway on Course 37. This course ran between 12 and 27 November 1942. 

He was then posted to The 2nd Parachute Battalion 10 December 1942. Probably as part of the reinforcement 'draft' to The 2nd Para Bn, then already in action in N. Africa.  He was was WIA 18 March 1943. At this time the war diary states that The Battalion were 'holding the line' and came under heavy mortar bombardment, particularly B and C Coys. 

His records state that Harry was posted to NWE 31 March 1945, where he was wounded badly and therefore returned to the UK on 8 May 1945. His family state that :

"When he was injured in Normandy on 17 April 1945 he was driving a jeep with some Canadian troops when they ran over a land mine on a supposedly cleared road, both the Canadians were killed and Harry was severely wounded, he was initially taken to a Canadian field hospital as he was presumed to be a Canadian, his uniform was basically non exsistant and his pay book had gone, being SAS and a non-conformist he wasn't wearing a standard British army uniform anyway.
He was unconscious for quite a while and until he came round no one knew who he was once he began to speak they realised he was English and made moves to get him home.
He was taken to Stoke Mandeville hospital under the care of Sir Archibald Mc Indoe and as he had lost part of his jaw his right eye and most of the right side of his face including his nose he was part of the of 'The Guinea Pig Club' with the pilots that Sir Archie rebuilt.
Harry had the same plastic surgery procedures with the pedicle skin grafts that we're pioneered at Stoke Mandeville, he suffered other injuries to legs and arms as well but he fought back and survived.
He suffered in later years from rheumatoid arthritis and had various joints replaced."

In 1946 he was classed as physically unfit (KR1940 Para 390 (xvi)) for work in the Army and discharged.

Profile undergoing review.