Anthony Smith (3 August 1894 – 1964) was awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

for "outstanding gallantry and devotion to duty in conditions of the utmost danger and difficulty" on 23 February 1944 in rescuing people from a bomb damaged building in the World's End area of

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

. A chimney sweep and shoemaker by trade, he was attached to the Chelsea Division of the Civil Defence Rescue Service.

First World War

At the outbreak of war in 1914, Smith enlisted in the

Royal Marines Light Infantry The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achi ...

, Chatham Division. He was posted to the Royal Marine Brigade of the Royal Naval Division and participated in the landings at ANZAC Cove in April 1915. Smith suffered a foot injury that required his evacuation to Chatham. By December, Smith had recovered and rejoined his old battalion in France, where he fought in numerous actions including

the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

offensive of 1916. Smith's service in the War came to an end after a serious hand injury requiring amputation of three fingers resulted in invalidation from the Navy in August 1917. Anthony Smith returned to civilian life as a nightwatchman but returned to the family trade of chimney sweep in 1926.

Second World War

Smith tried to re-enlist on the outbreak of war in 1939 but his injury prevented this and instead had joined the Heavy Rescue Service based at Chatham, Kent.

23 February 1944

On the night of 23 February 1944, a lone German aircraft dropped two bombs, probably aimed at

Lots Road Power Station Lots Road Power Station is a disused gas- and oil-fired power station (originally coal) on the River Thames at Lots Road in Chelsea, London in the south-west of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, which supplied electricity to the Lon ...

. The bombs missed this target and fell on The Guinness Trust buildings on the corner of Edith Grove and

King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents) is a major street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both ...

. The force of the explosion collapsed the buildings. Smith arrived soon after with the Heavy Rescue Squad. Many injured people were trapped in the fallen masonry and rubble and Smith heard the cries of one of them, a baker called Sam Mitchell, trapped in the basement. Entering the basement through a gap in the debris, Smith was soon also trapped inside by further rubble. Smith persevered and located Mitchell in the rubble, freed him and dragged him to the rear of the building where he broke through a wall to safety. Smith then joined his colleague Albert Littlejohn and re-entered the basement, which was being flooded with water from a broken main and rescued a woman. Smith and his colleagues worked all night freeing victims and recovering bodies. In all, 76 people died that night but many others were rescued thanks to Tony Smith, Albert Littlejohn and their colleagues from the Heavy Rescue Squad.

George Cross citation

Smith was awarded the George Cross on 30 May 1944 and made a Freeman of the Borough of Chelsea in June of the same year.

Plaque

A plaque commemorating Smith's bravery on 23 February 1944 is located on Dovehouse Green, on the King's Road in Chelsea. A portrait of him by

Joseph McCulloch Joseph Howard McCulloch (April 5, 1886 – December 15, 1960) was an American football, baseball, and basketball coach, teacher and athletic director. He played college football and baseball at Springfield College from 1908 to 1910. He was the a ...

is held in the

Imperial War Museums The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civi ...

. Post-war, Smith resumed his job as a chimney sweep and died a bachelor in 1964.

Burial

Smith was initially buried in an unmarked grave. In 1999 a new stone was dedicated by arrangement of the Royal Marines Association and supported by the

Victoria Cross and George Cross Association The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association is made up of holders of the Victoria Cross (VC), Britain's highest military award for bravery in the presence of the enemy, and the George Cross (GC), the equivalent award for civilians and also ...

, the Royal Marines Historical Societies and representatives from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Sale of medals

Smith's medals were sold at auction in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia in April 2005 for AUS$20,000.Anthony Smith Medal Group
/ref> His medals included: *George Cross *

1914–15 Star The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to all who served in the British and Imperial forces in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The medal was n ...

* British War Medal 1914-18 (CH.18816 A.Smith. Pte. R.M.) * Victory Medal (CH.18816 A.Smith. Pte. R.M.) * Defence Medal * Coronation Medal 1953

References

* Hissey, Terry – ''Come if ye Dare – The Civil Defence George Crosses'', (2008), Civil Defence Assn () {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Anthony British recipients of the George Cross Shoemakers 1894 births 1964 deaths Military personnel from Hampshire Place of death missing Royal Marines ranks Royal Marines personnel of World War I Burials at North Sheen Cemetery Civil Defence Service personnel