Few stories resonate in the annals of Black history like that of Flight Lieutenant John Henry Smythe, a Sierra Leonean and British legend whose journey from the streets of Freetown to the skies of Europe exemplifies courage, resilience and extraordinary achievement.
Eddy Smythe, son of John Henry Smythe, will tell the incredible tale of his father’s World War 2 exploits as a 27 mission Bomber navigator, his experiences in a German prisoner of war camp, his career defending soldiers who in court before becoming a Kings counsel, his elevation to Attorney General of Sierra Leone and his globe trotting trips where he met Presidents and Princes. We will also discuss Sierra Leone’s role in supplying Britain with vital resources during the war. Plus we will have an exclusive preview of the new short, film about his life.
Black History Walks has been telling the tale of John Henry Smythe for over 20 years. Starting with sold out lectures at the Imperial War Museum in 2001, Smythe also features on several of our walks.
In a unique collaboration with Pearson Education BHW adapted our Notting hill walk into a GCSE History exam textbook. We insisted that John Henry Smythe’s photo and name be included in the book to represent the massive Black contribution to World War 2.
The book is now used by 10,000 pupils in 140 schools. Interest in his story has exploded. To satisfy the demand for more information on him we have worked up with The Black Curriculum and Insightful Animations to create a ten minute animation of his story. This resource will be then be placed on the internet as a school resource
The Pearson GCSE History exam text book can be found here https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/secondary/subjects/history-secondary/pearson-edexcel-gcse-history-91/pearson-revise-pearson-edexcel-gcse-9-1-history/gcse-9-1-edexcel-history-migrants-in-britain-c-800-present-student-book-1
Other coming events from Black History Walks
Black History River Cruise
Black History Bus Tour
Harlem in Mayfair walk
Hackney walk
Elephant and Castle Walk
Black History of Theatreland walk
How Black people won World War 2
Io Capitan at BFI Southbank, African Odysseys
Polisario at BFI Southbank, African Odysseys
Black History canal cruise
Poo and Pee in the West Indies: White Supremacy in your toilet