Five: Captain W. D. Smith, Royal Horse Artillery, died of wounds, 6 April 1945

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, all officially engraved, ‘Capt. W. D. Smith, R.A.’; together with Shooting Medals (2), Country Life Competition, 38mm., silver, rev. engraved, ‘1931’ (Cadet D. Smith, Marlborough College, Class A. 1st), in case of issue; another, bronze, rev. engraved, ‘1932’ (Cpl. D. Smith, Marlborough College, Class A. 2nd’, extremely fine (7) £150-200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Brigadier Brian Parritt, C.B.E..

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William Dolphin Smith was born on 20 April 1915, the son of D. Smith of Garden End, Oakhurst Avenue, Harpenden. Educated at Marlborough College, he entered Summerfield House in January 1929. In the School Rifle Shooting VIII in 1931 and 1932, he was part of the team that came 1st in the Country Life Competition in 1931 and was Captain of the team that came 2nd in the following year. He left school to become a Farmer in Rhodesia. On 20 April 1940 he joined the Army and was posted as a Gunner to the 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. With them he served in North Africa. After returning home for officer training, he was commissioned into the 3rd Regiment R.H.A. on 24 April 1942. Returning to North Africa he served with his regiment in the 4th Light Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division. As such he doubtless saw action at El Alamein and in the advance into Tripolitania. He then served in Italy (Italy Star not in lot) and in N.W. Europe. In April 1945, some three weeks before ‘V.E. Day’, the 3rd Regiment R.H.A. as part of the 7th Armoured Division was involved in a fiercely contested fight near the village of Ibbenburen on the western edge of the Teutoberg Forest. The area was defended by dedicated instructors and fanatical cadets from a nearby officer cadet training school. The Germans instructors were first class soldiers, they worked in small parties scattered around the battlefield making them difficult targets for the artillery. Many were excellent shots and they specialised in sniping at tank commanders and platoon sergeants. The cadets had all the latest weapons and the ridge gave them perfect observation, with the woods providing excellent concealment. Many of them fought to the death, rather than surrender. In the battle that followed the 3rd Monmouth Regiment suffered such severe casualties they had to be withdrawn. One company however was pinned down around the Birgte Bridge, which spanned the Ems Canal near Ibbenburen, the 2nd Devons were ordered to relieve them then press on into Osnabruch. The C.O. of the Devons organised a battalion attack and, supported by a squadron of tanks, a platoon of machine guns and a platoon of mortars successfully drove the Germans back. In an hour and a half the battalion had taken 200 prisoners, could count 50 German dead and had liberated the 150 trapped Monmouths. The Devonshires had advanced behind a creeping barrage, having to winkle out the Cadets who, despite being heavily shelled, still fought on. This successful artillery support came from all the available artillery, which comprised four regiments - 3rd Regiment R.H.A., a regiment from 11 Armoured Division and two medium regiments. Captain Smith of J Battery, which was the direct support battery to the 2nd Devons, was responsible for working out a “Simple Fire Plan” to coordinate all these guns. This he did. But just before the attack went in, he stood up near the bridge for a last look and was shot in the stomach by a sniper. He died of his wounds, four days later on 6 April 1945. He was buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, near Cleves. Sold with original Governor of Rhodesia’s condolence slip named to ‘Captain W. D. Smith’ - this gives a total of 6 medals awarded (the above, plus presumably the missing Italy Star); a D.V.D. bearing a photograph of Smith in the Marlborough College Shooting VIII of 1932 (Smith seated centre); modern photographs of his grave and the cemetery; a newspaper article dated 1 April 1995 describing the battle from the German point of view, and letters and copied research on the recipient and the battle.