Cyril “Tashy” Smith
Brigadier · #922199 · Y2 Patrol
| Rank | Brigadier |
|---|---|
| Service number | #922199 |
| Patrol | Y2 Patrol |
| Known as | “Tashy” |
What this roll records
THE SERVICE NUMBER ON THIS CARD IS GAZETTED AS ANOTHER MAN’S (2026). NOTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED OR REMOVED, because removing the wrong field would throw away the only clue there is. The card reads 922199. The Gazette of 27 October 1944 lists warrant officers being commissioned in the form [old number] [name] ([new officer number]), and among them is “922199 Geoffrey BESWETHERICK (184797)”. British Army numbers were unique across the Army; two men did not share one. And a search for a Brigadier of this name returns NOTHING AT ALL between 1935 and 1960 — which for a Brigadier is close to impossible, since every one is gazetted repeatedly on promotion, appointment and retirement. SO ONE OF THE THREE THINGS ON THIS CARD IS WRONG — the number, the rank, or the name — AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SAY WHICH. ONE THING THAT IS **NOT** WRONG, since it looks as though it should be: a Brigadier serving in Y2 Patrol. That was checked. THIS ROLL’S RANK FIELD HOLDS A MAN’S ULTIMATE RANK, NOT THE RANK HE HELD IN THE LRDG — Lloyd Owen is a General with Y1 Patrol, Mitford a Brigadier General with W Patrol, Holliman a Lieutenant Colonel with R and S. Nine of the roll’s thirteen senior officers carry a patrol. A future Brigadier in Y2 is ordinary. Source: The London Gazette, Supplement 36770, p. 4970, 27 October 1944.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- Missing info added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll.
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
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Not By Strength But By Guile