John Richard Easonsmith

John Richard Easonsmith
"Jake" Easonsmith
Nickname(s)	Jake
Born	(1909-04-12)12 April 1909 Bristol, England
Died	16 November 1943(1943-11-16) (aged 34) Leros, Greece
Buried	Leros war cemetery grave reference 3.B.3
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1939–1943
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Service number	140546
Commands	Long Range Desert Group
Battles / wars	Second World War North African Campaign Western Desert Campaign Operation Agreement Operation Caravan Battle of Greece Dodecanese Campaign Battle of Leros  †
Awards	Distinguished Service Order Military Cross

John ("Jake") Richard Easonsmith DSO, MC (12 April 1909 – 16 November 1943) was a British Army soldier during World War II. He was killed in action on the Dodecanese island of Leros whilst commanding the Long Range Desert Group in 1943. W. B. Kennedy-Shaw described him as: "Brave, wise, with an uprightness that shamed lesser men, he was, I think, the finest man we ever had in the L.R.D.G."^[1]