Lieutenant Colonel William Ernest Walker Smith TD Combined Cadet Force
Efficiency Decorattion 'Territorial'. Cadet Forces Medal.
The Man William Ernest Walker Smith (Ernest) was born during the first quarter of 1926 in Prescot, Merseyside, his mother’s maiden name being Walker.
Little detail is known about Ernest’s early life and as he became 18 in early 1944, it is possible he served in the armed forces during WWII but may have been exempt as he trained to become a teacher.
On 23rd December 1948 he was Commissioned into the Territorial Army, General List, Combined Cadet Force as a 2nd Lieutenant with service number 401556, for service wit the Ellesmere College Contingent, where he worked as a Master.
During the first quarter of 1951 aged 25 Ernest married Irene Draper in Prescot and they had one son, Peter John Draper born in 1959. On 22nd March 1955 he was promoted to Lieutenant and two years later, left Ellesmere College becoming a Master at Calday Grange Grammar School in Birkenhead and transferred to their contingent on 1st October 1957 as Lieutenant.
In 1962 he was awarded his Efficiency Decoration ‘Territorial’, this appearing in the London Gazette of 15th May. He qualified under the regulations for the award at that time “The following will reckon as SINGLE qualifying service:- 4 (c) Commissioned service on the General List by officers who have served with the Junior Division Officers’ Training Corps, The Junior Training Corps or Combined Cadet Force before 1st April 1950. For those who joined after 20th June 1950 or had unrewarded service following the award of the TD, their service counted towards the Cadet Forces Medal.
During his years at Calday Grange he was promoted to Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel, taking command of the CCF contingent from 1966 - 1969 and again in 1970 until his retirement on 10th September 1982 aged 56, a total of 34 years’ service
Ernest qualified for his Cadet Forces Medal, this appearing in the London Gazette of 27th February 1979, named to him as Lt Col TD.
Irene passed away in 2000 aged 76 in Birkenhead and in later life Ernest lived in Brookfield Nursing Home, Grange Road West, Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside. He passed away on 21st June 2014 aged 88.
Little detail is known about Ernest’s early life and as he became 18 in early 1944, it is possible he served in the armed forces during WWII but may have been exempt as he trained to become a teacher.
On 23rd December 1948 he was Commissioned into the Territorial Army, General List, Combined Cadet Force as a 2nd Lieutenant with service number 401556, for service wit the Ellesmere College Contingent, where he worked as a Master.
During the first quarter of 1951 aged 25 Ernest married Irene Draper in Prescot and they had one son, Peter John Draper born in 1959. On 22nd March 1955 he was promoted to Lieutenant and two years later, left Ellesmere College becoming a Master at Calday Grange Grammar School in Birkenhead and transferred to their contingent on 1st October 1957 as Lieutenant.
In 1962 he was awarded his Efficiency Decoration ‘Territorial’, this appearing in the London Gazette of 15th May. He qualified under the regulations for the award at that time “The following will reckon as SINGLE qualifying service:- 4 (c) Commissioned service on the General List by officers who have served with the Junior Division Officers’ Training Corps, The Junior Training Corps or Combined Cadet Force before 1st April 1950. For those who joined after 20th June 1950 or had unrewarded service following the award of the TD, their service counted towards the Cadet Forces Medal.
During his years at Calday Grange he was promoted to Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel, taking command of the CCF contingent from 1966 - 1969 and again in 1970 until his retirement on 10th September 1982 aged 56, a total of 34 years’ service
Ernest qualified for his Cadet Forces Medal, this appearing in the London Gazette of 27th February 1979, named to him as Lt Col TD.
Irene passed away in 2000 aged 76 in Birkenhead and in later life Ernest lived in Brookfield Nursing Home, Grange Road West, Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside. He passed away on 21st June 2014 aged 88.
The Story The medals awarded to William Ernest Walker Smith were acquired from E-Bay on 16th April 2025 and of interest because of the simple double long service combination.
Despite the three initials research was initially difficult but following some cross referencing on Ancestry and the Smith family tradition of using their mother’s maiden name as their third forename, sufficient detail was found to enable a brief biography to be pieced together.
The regulations governing the award of the Efficiency Decoration to Officers in the CCF prior to the creation of the Cadet Forces Medal in 1950 are interesting and make for a pleasing combination of awards.
Despite the three initials research was initially difficult but following some cross referencing on Ancestry and the Smith family tradition of using their mother’s maiden name as their third forename, sufficient detail was found to enable a brief biography to be pieced together.
The regulations governing the award of the Efficiency Decoration to Officers in the CCF prior to the creation of the Cadet Forces Medal in 1950 are interesting and make for a pleasing combination of awards.
Medal Details:
- Efficiency Decoration: 1962
- Cadet Forces Medal: LT COL W E W SMITH TD CCF
This page last updated 22 Apr 25
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