J Smith

John Smith was born in Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire in 1938 he was the youngest of 6 children, on leaving school he was on an Apprenticeship which deferred his National Service until it was completed and enlisted in 1958 under the watchful eye of CSM Ray Huggins and his squad instructor was Corporal Read with Lt A Mayhew Platoon Commander. In 1959 he was back at the Guards Depot, Caterham as a Trained Soldier and part of the Guards Depot Shooting Team who had excelled at the London District Rifle Association meeting. In 1961 John was serving with the 1st Battalion in Southern Cameroons and in Cyprus on the United Nations Tour in 1965, whilst serving in Aden John received wounds to his back in a grenade attack which were to haunt him in later life, he had also served with the Regiment in BAOR. John left the Army as a Gold Sergeant in 1968 and tried the Police Force where he met his wife Katherine who was in the Sussex Police Force whilst on their training course at Dishforth in Yorkshire, the following year in 1969 they were married with Master Tailor Niffy Hill as Best Man, by now John had rejoined the Grenadiers serving once again in Germany and London In 1969 he was a LSgt in the 2nd Bn at Chelsea Barracks with Lt Col PGA Prescott MC as Commanding Officer and RSM Ray Huggins in the chair as the Big Badge. In August 1969 the 2nd Battalion deployed to Northern Ireland on the first of seventeens tours the Regiment carried out on Operation Banner. In 1970 John transferred to the MCTC at the Military Prison in Colchester still suffering from the grenade incident in Aden and having had 4 operations on his back John left the Army in 1976 with the rank of Staff Sergeant and having worked in various jobs retired and moved to Lincolnshire in 2000. On leaving the Grenadiers John became a member of the Sussex Branch of the Grenadier Guards Association which was a very lively Branch in it’s time enjoying guest speakers and members such as Derek Money MBE, Arthur Spratley, Freddie Clutton, Tom Taylor, Peter Lewis and Major General the Duke of Norfolk to name but a few. John and Katherine had been married for 56 years when John died in Boston Hospital, Lincolnshire on Boxing Day, 2025. May he rest in Peace