William James Lanyon Smith
HMNZS Lachlan | |
|---|---|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
William James Lanyon Smith
Early life
Smith was born in Gore, New Zealand, on 1 December 1922 and became a school teacher.[1]
Second World War
During World War II, Smith was a member of the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve. In May 1944 he was posted to the Royal Navy's midget submarine base at
On 31 July 1945 in the
Following the attack on the Takao, Smith was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. His citation, published in a supplement to the
For gallantry, great skill and endurance whilst at the controls of His Majesty's Submarine XE-3 for over sixteen hours during her successful attack on a heavy Japanese cruiser in the Johore Strait, Singapore, on 31st July, 1945.[3]
Reed received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, while Magennis and Fraser were both awarded the Victoria Cross.[2] Smith was promoted to temporary lieutenant in December 1945.[1]
In June 1946, Smith transferred to the
From November 1955 until 1957 he was stationed at the navy office in Wellington (HMNZS Wakefield), and then he served as commanding officer of HMNZS Shackleton. In December 1959, Smith was promoted to the rank of commander, and from February 1960 until October 1962 he served as commanding officer of HMNZS Lachlan and hydrographer of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Thereafter he was director of hydrography at HMNZS Wakefield.[1]
In the 1968 Queen's Birthday Honours, Smith was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[4]
Smith died in Wellington on 2 December 2018.[5]
Honorific eponym
The Royal New Zealand Navy's headquarters for its operational diving team, maritime operations evaluation team and diving school are housed in the Commander William Smith Building—named in Smith's honour and officially opened by him in 2006—at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) officers 1939–45". Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ a b Ashcroft, Michael (March 2013). "Leading Seaman James Magennis VC" (PDF). Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "No. 37346". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 November 1945. p. 5530.
- ^ "No. 44602". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 8 June 1968. p. 6339.
- ^ Johnston, Martin (18 December 2018). "Obituary: William Smith, New Zealand war hero who served in Royal Navy midget submarines". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "New diving and maritime operations building open". Dive Magazine. Retrieved 17 August 2014.