Jake “Jake” Easonsmith
Major · #140546 · LRDG HQ · DSO, MC
| Rank | Major |
|---|---|
| Service number | #140546 |
| Patrol | LRDG HQ |
| Regiment | Royal Tank Regiment |
| Known as | “Jake” |
| Died | 1943-11-16 |
| Honours | DSO, MC |
| POW / KIA | KIA — Dodecanese, 16 Nov 1943 |
What this roll records
HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER, CONFIRMED AND DATED. London Gazette, Supplement 35799, page 5141 — the supplement to the Gazette of Tuesday 24 November 1942, published Thursday 26 November 1942, the notice headed “War Office, 26th November, 1942”. Under “The Distinguished Service Order” it reads: “Captain (temporary Major) John Richard Easonsmith, M.C. (140546), Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps.” TWO THINGS THAT PAGE SETTLES. First, HE IS PRINTED WITH THE MC ALREADY IN HIS STYLE, which dates his two awards against each other on the Gazette’s own authority. Second, THIS IS THE BARCE GAZETTE: the very next line decorates Nicholas Perry Wilder, also of this roll, and Roy Duncalfe’s Military Medal is on the following page. Easonsmith commanded the raid on Barce town and airfield of 13–14 September 1942, Wilder led T1 on to the airfield, and Duncalfe drove a G2 jeep. Read from the scanned page image and transcribed by eye. HOW THE PAGE WAS FOUND, CREDITED PROPERLY: the reference came from two secondary finding aids — the Wikipedia article on John Richard Easonsmith, which cites the supplement and the page, and TracesOfWar.com, which cites the same and quotes a fragment of the citation text. NEITHER WAS TAKEN ON TRUST: the Gazette page itself was then opened and the line read off it, and that is what is quoted above. Sources: The London Gazette, Supplement 35799, page 5141, 26 November 1942 — page located via Wikipedia and TracesOfWar.com.
Patrol R1: Maj Jake Easonsmith commanded R1 Patrol (Nov 1941); featured in Brendan O'Carroll, "The Long Range Desert Group in North Africa".
Patrol R1 officer (Capt. J.R. Easonsmith). Brendan O'Carroll, "R Patrol, Long Range Desert Group" (R Patrol Truck Names and Officers appendix).
PATROL COMMANDER of R1 per W.B. Kennedy Shaw, "Long Range Desert Group", Appendix 4 Patrol Commanders.
March 1942 roll (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): CO R1 Patrol
Barce Raid, Sept 1942 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): Jeep 1 (B Sqd CO) — Picked up by S2
Dodecanese operations, 1943: killed in action 16 Nov 1943. Source: Roll of British & Rhodesian PoW and KIA (Appendix V), compiled by Jim Patch, LRDG (UK) Association.
LRDG Roll of Honour (Aegean 1943): killed in action 16.11.43; Lieutenant Colonel, Officer Commanding LRDG, LRDG HQ Patrol. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, "The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean" (Appendix III, LRDG Roll of Honour: The Aegean Operations 1943). (master previously recorded R1 Patrol).
Killed in action 16 Nov 1943 at Leros while commanding the LRDG. Source: LRDG Roll of Honour, The Aegean Operations 1943 (Brendan O'Carroll).
The Kiwi Scorpions (Brendan O'Carroll): Lt-Col J. R. Easonsmith, DSO, MC — Royal Tank Regiment; patrol commander LRDG; OC B Squadron LRDG; CO LRDG (Aegean) 1943; killed in action, 16 Nov 1943.
Patrol commander: commanded R1 Patrol. Kiwi Scorpions (Appendix II — Commanders of NZ Patrols).
Commanded the LRDG raid on Barce town and airfield (13–14 September 1942), leading T1 and G1 patrols 1,155 miles from Faiyum. In the town he attacked buildings and a transport park by jeep, then covered the withdrawal — chasing off attacking Tripolitanians and organising the survivors after the force was caught in the open by aircraft. Awarded the DSO. Source: ‘The Barce Raid’, Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).
Became commanding officer of the LRDG on 17 October 1943. Brought the evacuation launch to Levita (night 24–25 October), lifting off the few survivors at the rendezvous. During the battle of Leros he reconnoitred Leros town; ambushed on a second reconnaissance, he was killed, 16 November 1943. Source: ‘Invasion of the Dodecanese Islands’ (Battle of Leros / Assault on Levita), Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).
Royal Tank Regiment. DSO, MC. Patrol commander and CO LRDG 1943; killed in action, 16 Nov 1943. Source: Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (biographical notes).
Took command of R patrol in October 1941. Leading R1 from Siwa he staged the Mechili ambush (October 1941), running down an enemy column on foot with grenades to seize prisoners who revealed the Trieste Division’s move. Source: ‘Long Range Desert Group in Libya, 1940–41’, Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).
Aegean/Dodecanese operations, 1943: listed as Lieutenant Colonel Easonsmith, service no. 140546; killed in action, 16 Nov 1943. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, ‘The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean’ (Appendix V, Roll of British & Rhodesian PoW and KIA).
LRDG Roll of Honour, the Aegean 1943: Lieutenant Colonel, killed in action 16 November 1943 (Officer Commanding, LRDG), LRDG HQ. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, ‘The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean’ (Appendix III, LRDG Roll of Honour: the Aegean Operations 1943).
His name in full, from the London Gazette, against his service number. He appears as SECOND-LIEUTENANT JOHN RICHARD EASONSMITH (140546), Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (issue 35396, p. 7334, 26 December 1941), and again as “Captain (temporary Major) John Richard Easonsmith, M.C. (140546), Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps” (Supplement 35799, p. 5141, 24 November 1942) — which dates his Military Cross as held by that November and confirms the Royal Tank Regiment attribution recorded above. An earlier entry of 30 July 1940 (Supplement 34911, p. 4731) gives “John Richard EASONSMITH” with the number as 1405146, seven digits, which is almost certainly a slip for 140546 but has not been proved. “Jake”, the name this roll holds and the one everyone knew him by, was not his given name. The forename field is left as it stands pending a decision. His D.S.O. WAS traced, on 26 August 2026 — see the note below. Recording what went wrong here, because it is instructive: the earlier search had already matched the right document, Supplement 35799, and dismissed it as two terms happening to fall in one large issue. It was not a coincidence. The page was never opened, because the Gazette serves it only as a scanned image; opening it settled the matter in a minute. Source: The London Gazette.
HIS MILITARY CROSS, CONFIRMED AND DATED — AND THE REFERENCE WAS ALREADY ON THIS CARD, READ FOR SOMETHING ELSE. The note above cites London Gazette issue 35396, page 7334 as the source for his name in full. That is the same page that awards him the Military Cross. Under the heading “The Military Cross” it reads: “Second-Lieutenant John Richard Easonsmith (140546), Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps.” The supplement is dated 30 December 1941, to the Gazette of 26 December 1941. So the award was sitting inside a citation this roll had already made, described only as a name source. Read from the Gazette’s scanned page image and transcribed by eye — the Gazette publishes no text for pages of this date. Source: The London Gazette, issue 35396, page 7334.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
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Not By Strength But By Guile