John Henry Smythe

Later career After Smythe twice successfully defended men facing courts martial, despite having no legal training, a judge suggested that he take up a career in law and provided a letter of introduction. He qualified as a barrister and returned to Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital and initially worked for the government, becoming a Queens Counsel and serving as Attorney General. In 2022, there was a docudrama made in honour of him in a film entitled Flying For Britain in partnership with the Royal Air Force Museum and National Heritage Fund. Actor Ricardo P. Lloyd portrays him in the film and his son Eddy Smythe provides the narration.

In 2024, Helena Bonham Carter's BBC Radio 4 documentary podcast History's Secret Heroes dedicated a full episode to Smythe's efforts during the Second World War.