November is Black History Month
Thame in Oxfordshire celebrated the life of a former resident, John Henry Smythe with a new exhibition in Thame Museum, at an event launched on Friday 25th of October by Levi Roots and Eddy Smythe, his son.
John Henry Smythe, QC,MBE,OBE had an extraordinary life. A descendant of the Creole people of Sierra Leone, resettled slaves freed by abolitionists. A story in itself.
John, or Johnny, a qualified pilot, came to Britain from Sierra Leone in1939 to join the RAF and fight the Nazis. He flew twenty-seven missions for 623 Squadron RAF before being shot down over Germany, injured.
After release as a POW on liberation, the Colonial Office appointed him Senior Officer on the Empire Windrush, yes, that ship! His part was instrumental in returning demobbed Caribbean servicemen to work in rebuilding Britain.
Not stopping there, Johnny Smythe went on to become one of the first black barristers in England. In 1961 when Sierra Leone gained its independence, QC John Henry Smythe returned to become Sierra Leone’s Attorney General. When he retired, he came back to Thame, spending his last years with his family in a place he felt at home. He is buried in St Mary’s churchyard.
I think hearing about his life all will agree John Henry Smythe, QC,MBE,OBE was a tremendous asset to this country and to Sierra Leone, the place of his birth.
David Dawson, Deputy Mayor Thame Town Council, supported the Museum in the building of the exhibition and a short film by Raw Pictures which is available here:
You can find our video on the talk here:
The exhibition is now open, and a public event will be held at Thame Museum on 14th November at 7:30pm. Tickets are available from their website:
The Johnny Smythe Story – by his son Eddy – Thame Museum
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