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From Airman to Attorney General: RAF Navigator Johnny Smythe

From Airman to Attorney General: RAF Navigator Johnny Smythe

Born in 1915 in Sierra Leone, the life of John Henry Smythe is almost unbelievable. From becoming an RAF navigator during WWII to being a German POW camp to being the Senior Officer aboard HMT Empire Windrush & becoming Attorney General of Sierra L...

Dan Snow's History Hit · History Hit

June 26, 202136m 39s

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Show Notes

<p>Beginning with his birth in 1915 in Sierra Leone, the life of John Henry Smythe OBE MBE is almost unbelievable. From becoming a navigator in the RAF during the Second World War, to being held captive in a German POW camp, to being the Senior Officer making key decisions about the futures of the people aboard HMT Empire Windrush and becoming Attorney General for Sierra Leone; the twists and turns in this story are incredible. James from our sibling podcast <a href="https://podfollow.com/the-world-wars/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Warfare</em></a> was joined by John’s son, Eddy, and the BBC’s Tim Stokes to hear this account of life during and after the Second World War, in which we even get a glimpse of JFK.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Listen out for Eddy’s song, written in memory of his father, at the end of the episode. You can find the music video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIarzhxtGsU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br><p>Tim’s article can be found <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55286092" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>