Hackney has paid tribute to one of its First World War veterans with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at the Navarino Mansions on Dalston Lane, the building where Issy Smith VC once lived.
From stowaway to decorated soldier
Born Ishroulch Shmeilowitz in Istanbul to Russian-Jewish parents, Smith arrived in London as a child after stowing away aged 11. He later enlisted with the Manchester Regiment in 1904 and served in India before returning to Britain. At the outbreak of the First World War he was a reservist living in Australia and was called up for active service.
Heroism near Ypres
Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions in April 1915 near Ypres, during which he repeatedly left his company to bring wounded comrades to safety while under heavy fire. One official citation described his conduct in rescuing a severely wounded man, carrying him some distance to shelter while exposed to machine-gun and rifle fire.
"For most conspicuous bravery on 26 April 1915, near Ypres, when he left his Company on his own initiative and went well forward towards the enemy's position to assist a severely wounded man, whom he carried a distance of 250 yards into safety, whilst exposed the whole time to heavy machine-gun and rifle fire."
Smith was subsequently evacuated to England with illness and later promoted to sergeant. He returned to service in Mesopotamia (Basra) where he was wounded and contracted malaria, and afterwards served in Palestine before demobilisation in 1918.
Local and international recognition
In addition to the Victoria Cross, Issy Smith received the French Croix de Guerre and the Russian Cross of St George. He took part in national commemorations: attending the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in 1920 and unveiling the war memorial at St John's Church in Hackney in 1921.
- Residence: Navarino Mansions, Dalston Lane (around eight years)
- Military unit: Manchester Regiment
- Decorations: Victoria Cross, Croix de Guerre (France), Cross of St George (Russia)
- Later life: emigrated to Australia in 1927; active in veterans' organisations
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1904 | Joined Manchester Regiment |
| 1915 | Actions near Ypres leading to VC |
| 1920 | Attended Unknown Warrior burial |
| 1921 | Unveiled Hackney war memorial |
| 1927 | Emigrated to Australia |
The plaque was organised and installed through the efforts of Martin Sugarman, chairman of Hackney AJEX, with the physical memorial donated by Jerry Klinger, president of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. The new marker sits on the wall of the Navarino Road flats, linking a local building to the life story of a man who performed acts of bravery on the Western Front.
Later years and legacy
After the war Smith was involved in public life: he undertook a government-sponsored speaking tour, continued military service abroad, and later in Australia became active in veterans’ associations and civic life, serving as a councillor and holding various jobs. He died in Australia of a heart attack on 10 September 1940, aged 50.
The plaque in Dalston cements a local connection to a soldier whose service was recognised at home and abroad, and it offers residents a tangible reminder of Hackney’s ties to the history of the First World War.
