In 1941, at the age of 19, King-Smith enlisted as a recruit in the Grenadier Guards,and was subsequently commissioned into the Grandier Guards in December 1942.[6] As a young platoon commander in September 1943, he took part in the
Salerno Landings in
Italy. On arrival in Salerno, his platoon fought their way up Italy, along with many others, which took months. On 12 July 1944, King-Smith was seriously injured by a British hand grenade thrown by a German soldier. He was only saved from certain death because he was sheltering behind a tree, which took the brunt of the explosion. He suffered extensive sharp wounds, and later, when he was back in England, a cerebral embolism, either of which could have killed him. He relinquished his commission in June 1946, "on account of disability",[7] and returned to farming.
Personal life
King-Smith met his wife, Myrle, on
Christmas Day 1936. They were both 14. They were married at St. Mary's Church, Bitton, on 6 February 1943. They had three children: Juliet, Giles and Liz.[1] Myrle died in 2000, and King-Smith subsequently married Zona Bedding, a family friend.[8] He presented a feature on animals on
TV-AM's children's programme Rub-a-Dub-Tub (1983).[9]
Death
King-Smith died on 4 January 2011 at his home near
Bath, Somerset at the age of 88. He was survived by his 3 children, 14 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.[10]
Awards
King-Smith and The Sheep-Pig won the 1984
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children writers.[11]
Works
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