Terence Keith Smith was born 15 August 1946 in the small town of Pocklington in Yorkshire. The family moved to Saxmundham in Suffolk and at the age of 15 he joined the Army as a boy soldier and completed Junior Service in Bury St Edmunds at Blenheim Camp in 1964.

After training he joined The 1st Battalion The East Anglian Regiment who at that time was deployed on an Operational tour in Aden and the Radfan.

He was known as Terry by the majority of us, however as is normal in the military he picked up several nicknames; Smudge comes naturally to the Smiths of the world, and as there is normally an abundance of Smith’s he was also known on Boy’s Service by the last two numbers of his Army number, 55. Terry had a great sense of humour and when the Regiment were posted to Celle in Germany as a mechanised Infantry Battalion he quickly translated 55 to ‘funf funf’.

Army life suited Terry and the travel and postings meant that he saw a great deal of the world. After leaving the military he was always one for mentioning the Countries and places he had been to; and anybody else who dared to mention a visit anywhere was quickly put down with the phrase, “I’ve been there!” delivered in typical Terry Smith fashion.

In 1967 he met Jean and they got married in 1969. Suzanne was born in 1970 and eventually met her father after a three-month absence. His daughter Natalie was born in Cyprus in ’73.

With the usual Coved restrictions Natalie who now lives in New Zealand was unable to attend her father’s funeral; however with the wonder of modern day technology she was with us on the internet throughout the service and the wake. I was also very impressed that she managed to arrange somebody to play ‘Last Post’ at the Crematorium from across the sea.

Terry was a keen sportsman and approached any competitions with enthusiasm. He was a qualified canoe instructor and he was an efficient skier and competed in the Army Championships. Whilst serving in Northern Ireland he assisted in taking a group of the local youngsters on a Mountaineering trip to the Mourn Mountains. He will also be remembered by many when he ran the Battalion Snow Queen hut in 1979.

In the later years he returned to Bassingbourne and was responsible for the store supplies. Due to the size, privacy and secure nature of the barracks, visitors included the band AC/DC. They used it for rehearsing prior to a major tour. They later thanked Terry for his assistance during their stay, by signing a drum skin from the whole band and presenting it to him. He felt overwhelmed by the gift and proceeded to give it away to the catering team as he felt that they deserved it more. Much to his family’s upset who eventually forgave him! An occasion after the Sergeants Mess Ball was another that was a family joke. Terry asked Jean to accompany him to the hanger to meet his new friend that was also rehearsing nearby. Jean was unfortunately too tired and actually turned down meeting Eric Clapton, something that she later learned and again that had to be later forgiven!

After 25 years and having settled in Godmanchester he retired from the Army as a Colour Sergeant. He went on to run his own warehousing business and later joined a local company Insulpak.

As we know Terry was fond of a pint. It was whilst he was at The Exhibition public house in Godmanchester that he would meet his second wife Linda for the first time. Never known for his quietness either, Linda is known to have asked “Who’s the arsehole in the Red jacket?!” They got married on Red Nose day 12th March 1999 and saw 22 years together.

On retirement they would love to travel overseas and frequented Malta and other European Countries. When Terry’s health was wavering, they bought a caravan and camping life was the new pleasure and form of holidaying.

Throughout his service Terry was a team player, he was respected by his peers and subordinates alike. He attended all functions when serving and continued this on after leaving the military. He attended all re unions and would always attend the Minden Day reunions in Bury St Edmunds on the 1st Sunday of August each year for a chance to catch up with many of his fellow soldiers. Terry was a one off, and for those of us that had the privilege of having Terry as a comrade and friend; it is fair to say that the world will be a quieter place for his passing, but he will be very sadly missed and the world is a better place for knowing him.

The Regimental Ethos states that: ‘We are a county based Regiment bound together by a closely-knit family spirit. Our approach is classless, based on mutual respect and trust, where developing and believing in our soldiers is paramount. We are a forward looking, self-starting and welcoming team for whom the mission remains key’.

Along with many Vikings Terry fitted that ethos to the letter. Terry was a proud, brave, happy, generous man. A great drinking partner, an amazing story teller and a great friend. You would know what he thought about you and he didn’t hold back.

However it isn’t just about the military, our thoughts are very much with his Wife Linda, his daughters Suzanne and Natalie and he was also a proud Grandfather to Robert and even prouder Great Grandad to Isla & Poppy. As well as step father to Marie and to her daughters Danielle and Morgan, along with Morgan’s daughter Maya.

Terry was a Viking, Husband, Dad, Father in law, Grandfather, Brother, Great Grandad, Uncle, and great friend. He will be very much missed.

KCJ