Bill Smyly
William Jocelyn Smyly (22 July 1922 – 16 May 2018) was a soldier, journalist and educator. He was one of the last veterans of the two Chindit expeditions in the Burma campaign.
Bill Smyly | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Jocelyn Smyly |
| Born | 22 July 1922 Peking[1] |
| Died | 16 May 2018 (aged 95) Bedford, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), 3 Gorkha Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Chindits Operation Longcloth[2][3] and Chindits Operation Thursday |
| Awards | Mentioned in dispatches[4] |
Early life
Bill Smyly was born in Peking and was educated at Wrekin College and joined the Army straight from school.
Soldier
Bill Smyly took part in two of the Chindits[5][6] operations behind enemy lines in Burma. On the first one he made a hard-won escape after being separated from his unit.
After the war
After the war he went up to Clare College, Cambridge reading History and English. He then became a journalist. After a stint in the UK he moved to Hong Kong working at the South China Morning Post. Then he took up Education working at a school and eventually at the Chinese university in Hong Kong. After taking a post graduate degree at Leeds University he joined the British Council
References
- Bill, Smyly. "Captain Bill Smyly obituary". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "Operation longcloth". The Chindit Society. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- Redding, Tony (1 October 2015). War in the Wilderness: The Chindits in Burma 1943-1944. The History Press; Reprint edition (October 1, 2015). ISBN 978-0750962179.
- Smyly, W J (24 April 1945). "The London Gazette". The London Gazette (37051): 2215. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- Smyly, William. "William Smyly 5th Column Gurkha Rifles WW2 1943-1944". YouTube. Google. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- "From Burma to Bedford Pitch". chrissmyly.tv. Chris Smyly. Retrieved 6 July 2018.