Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
BOOK REVIEWS<br />
enough for his battalion to<br />
consolidate their position<br />
across the river and bring<br />
up reinforce ments. Though<br />
Smith himself did not see<br />
his actions as anything<br />
exceptional, his decision to<br />
attack at that moment<br />
undoubtedly helped alter the<br />
final outcome of the battle.<br />
Source: Library and Archives Canada<br />
The full story of Smith’s<br />
heroism at the Savio River<br />
on that fateful night in<br />
October 1944 has been told<br />
many times over, perhaps<br />
leading one to wonder what<br />
Lockhart’s book might offer<br />
that is new. While not a<br />
comprehensive biography of<br />
Earnest Smith VC, this book<br />
brings together a wide range<br />
of interesting material associated<br />
with the man as it traces<br />
his life both during and after<br />
the war. Of particular interest<br />
to readers will be those parts<br />
focusing on Smith’s postwar<br />
life and ultimately the events<br />
surrounding his passing. As<br />
the last living VC recipient,<br />
Smith was indeed the “last<br />
man standing” of that generation<br />
of legends who emerged<br />
Private Ernest Alvia “Smokey” Smith, VC<br />
from the Second World War. This book focuses on his unique role in Canadian society in that<br />
regard. For those interested in Canada’s VCs during the Second World War, Lockhart’s short<br />
book offers a fresh look at one of our best-known heroes.<br />
WWW.ARMY.FORCES.GC.CA/CAJ 139
Change language