John Richard Easonsmith

John Richard Easonsmith
John Richard Easonsmith
	"Jake" Easonsmith
Nickname	Jake
Born	12 April 1909; Bristol, England
Died	16 November 1943 (aged 34); Leros, Greece
Buried	Leros war cemetery grave reference 3.B.3
Branch	British Army
Service years	1939–1943
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Service number	140546
Commands	Long Range Desert Group
Conflicts	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."