Royston Smith GM MP- RAF veteran, former council leader and George Medal recipient

Royston Smith GM MP is an RAF veteran, former council leader and George Medal recipient and our latest guest on Veterans In Politics Podcast.

He has been the Member of Parliament for Southampton Itchen since 2015 and is the former Leader of Southampton City Council, having served as the Councillor for Harefield Ward – where he was born – from 2000 until 2016.

He has worked in both the private and public sectors, which offers useful experience to his approach to the key issues that face Southampton most effectively. His career spans four decades – starting by serving in the Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer working with the Nimrod aircraft- and he later spent 16 years as a maintenance engineer at British Airways. He has also run local businesses in the city.

We talk about the circumstances behind the award of the George Medal for bravery, and in doing so, remember Lt Cdr Ian Molyneux GM.

The medal citation reads: "Lt Cdr Molyneux, with complete disregard for his own safety, had deliberately made an effort to tackle the gunman, knowingly putting himself into extreme danger in order to try to safeguard others from personal injury.

"His actions were incalculably brave and were carried out in the highest possible service traditions of courage and selfless commitment, resulting ultimately in providing just enough disruption to the sentry's intent to enable him to be subsequently overwhelmed and disarmed."

We will remember him.

LINKS:

Spitfire Memorial Campaign-
https://www.roystonsmith.co.uk/2020/10/12/a-national-spitfire-memorial/

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OP Courage: Mental health support for veterans, service leavers and reservists - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

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