Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

David de Crespigny Smiley, (11 April 1916 – 9 January 2009) was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, the Western Desert and with

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE) in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Biography

Early life

Smiley was the 4th and youngest son of Sir John Smiley, 2nd Baronet and Valerie Champion de Crespigny, youngest daughter of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, who was a noted jockey, balloonist, sportsman and adventurer. His father fought in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

between 1899 and 1900 with 4th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders before joining the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry (redesignated the North Irish Horse in 1908). He gained the rank of major in the service of the

Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carab ...

and fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. David Smiley was educated at the Nautical College,

Pangbourne Pangbourne is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in the West Berkshire unitary area of the county of Berkshire, England. Pangbourne has shops, churches, schools and a village hall. Outside its nucleated village, grouped developed are ...

, Berkshire, England, where he was a noted sportsman. Some have suggested that

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

consciously or unconsciously took David Smiley's surname for that of his hero

George Smiley George Smiley OBE is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is a career intelligence officer with " The Circus", the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels '' Call for the Dead'', '' A ...

Military career

Smiley attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

, in 1934, and was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards in 1936. While based in

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. The town is situated we ...

, with the Blues, he was seen as a "man-about-town", owning a

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars and Sport utility vehicle, SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Crickle ...

car and a Miles Whitney Straight aircraft. He was also an amateur jockey and won seven races under

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

rules. After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Smiley's regiment sailed for

, where one of his first jobs was to shoot his troop of forty horses when it became clear they were of no use in modern combat. In 1940 Smiley joined the

Somaliland Camel Corps The Somaliland Camel Corps (SCC) was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces unit which was raised in British Somaliland. It existed from 1914 until 1944. Beginnings and the Dervish rebellion In 1888, after signing successive treaties with the the ...

, but was to arrive at

Berbera Berbera (; , ) is the capital of the Sahil, Somaliland, Sahil region of Somaliland and is the main sea port of the country, located approximately 160 km from the national capital, Hargeisa. Berbera is a coastal city and was the former capital of t ...

the same day it was decided to evacuate

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...

. He returned frustrated to Egypt where he persuaded family friend General Wavell to recommend him for the newly formed commandos. Smiley was appointed a company commander (with the rank of captain) with 52 Commando and his first mission was sneaking from Sudan into Abyssinia. He fought against

Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

forces in

. For his reconnaissance work in ruins near

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

(Middle-East, 1941). Smiley was recruited by the

(SOE) 1943 and undertook his first operation with them in Palestine in the same year. Later 1943 he parachuted into Albania where he co-ordinated partisan operations for eight months, and was awarded an immediate

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. In April 1944 Smiley and Lieutenant Colonel Neil " Billy" McLean again parachuted into Albania, carrying out guerrilla operations, for which Smiley was awarded a Bar to the Military Cross in 1944. He was also appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1946 for his service with the SOE in Thailand. He was Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards between December 1951 to December 1954. He rode behind The Queen in the Gold State Coach in the Coronation Procession on 2 June 1953. He was appointed as a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order in 1952 and received the Coronation Medal. He was British

Military Attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

to Stockholm between 1955 and 1958. After the war, he held the record for the most falls in one season on the

Cresta Run The Cresta Run is a natural ice track in eastern-Switzerland used for skeleton-toboggan racing. Located in the winter sports town of St. Moritz, the run is one of the few in the world dedicated entirely to skeleton. It was built in 1884 nea ...

in St Moritz; bizarrely, he represented Kenya (where he owned a farm) in the Commonwealth Winter Games of 1960. He was Commander of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman's Armed Forces between 1958 and 1961. He was Military Advisor to Yemen between 1962 and 1967.

Later work

Smiley was the author of three books based on his experiences, ''Arabian Assignment'', ''Albanian Assignment'' and ''Irregular Regular''. Smiley died on 9 January 2009, survived by his wife, Moyra (daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Francis George Montagu Douglas Scott, KCMG, DSO, the 6th Duke of Buccleuch's youngest son; and Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound – married 28 April 1947) two sons, Xan de Crespigny Smiley (born 1 May 1949) and Philip David Smiley (born 26 Aug 1951), a stepson and a stepdaughter.

Awards and decorations

* Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order *

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

1941 – for operations in the Middle-East *

1943 – SOE operations in Albania * Bar to the Military Cross – 1944 * French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

1945 – Indochina *

1946 – SOE operations in Thailand * He was admitted to

Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Gen ...

in 1966. * Knight Commander,

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

of Sweden * Grand Cordon, Order of Skanderbeg of Albania * Order of Freedom of Albania (1st Class)

Gallery

Service of Major David Smiley With the Special Operations Executive (soe) in Albania, 1943 - 1944. HU65147.jpg, David Smiley as a Major in the SOE in Albania Sultan Said bin Taimur of Muscat and Colonel David Smiley of the British Army.png, Sultan Said bin Taimur of Muscat and Colonel David Smiley when he was Commander of the Sultan's Armed Forces

Bibliography

* David Smiley, "Arabian Assignment", with Peter Kemp (Peter Mant McIntyre Kemp) – Cooper – London – 1975 (). With numerous photographs. * David Smiley,
Albanian Assignment
', foreword by

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greate ...

– Chatto & Windus – London – 1984 (). With numerous photographs. * David Smiley, "Irregular Regular", Michael Russell – Norwich – 1994 (). Translated in French by Thierry Le Breton, ''Au coeur de l'action clandestine des commandos au MI6'', L'Esprit du Livre Editions, France, 2008 (). With numerous photographs. * Clive Jones, "The Clandestine Lives of Colonel David Smiley: Code Name 'Grin', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2019 () With photographs. * Colonel Dayrell Oakley-Hill et David Smiley (Introduction) "An Englishman in Albania: Memoirs of a British Officer 1929–1955 ", The Centre for Albanian Studies, Learning Design Limited, London, 2002 (). With numerous photographs. * David Smiley, foreword of "General of the Dead Army",

Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; 28 January 1936 – 1 July 2024) was an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. He was a leading international literary figure and intellectual, focusing on poetry until the publication of his first novel ...

(). * Leroy Thompson et Ken MacSwan, ''Uniforms of the soldiers of fortune'' – Blandford Press – Poole – 1985 (ASIN B000V9AOHE). David Smiley is pictured in Yemen. * Roderick Bailey, ''The Wildest Province : SOE in the Land of the Eagle'' – 2008 – Jonathan Cape Ltd (). * Bernd J. Fischer, ''Albania at War, 1939–1945'', West Lafayette, Purdue University Press, 1999 (). * E. Bruce Reynolds, ''Thailand's Secret War. The Free Thai, OSS, and SOE during World War II'', Cambridge University Press, 2004. SOE in Thailand, 1945 (). David Smiley is photographed page 377 with his Force 136 team. * Stephen Dorril, ''MI6 : Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service'' The Free Press, New York, 2000 ( ).

References

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smiley, David People educated at Pangbourne College British Army personnel of World War II Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the Order of Skanderbeg (1925–45) Royal Horse Guards officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Special Operations Executive personnel North Irish Horse officers 1916 births 2009 deaths Military history of Albania during World War II Somaliland Camel Corps officers