A new book released by former Police Commissioner Senator Jonathan Smith, details the horror, sadness and excitement of a Bermudian fighting on the European front line during the Second World War.‘In the Hour of Victory’ is the story of Mr Smith’s grandfather, Major Anthony F (Toby) Smith, who fought for the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (BVRC), which was a forerunner of today’s Bermuda Regiment, and the Lincolnshire Regiment.He was killed in action in Holland on October 14, 1944. The book is based on his original 300 letters, cards and telegrams and additional research conducted by Mr Smith.Major Smith’s various communications tell of his love for his wife, Faith, and their five children, how much he despised the Nazis, how he fought through the adversity of being considered ‘inferior’ as he was from the colonies, and how he was driven to defend, as he put it, “King and country”.Major Smith was one of 12 children, five of whom saw active military duties in two world wars. He and the entire first contingent of soldiers of the BVRC and Bermuda Militia Artillery (BMA), survived a U-boat attack in July 1940 and spent several years in the United Kingdom before finally seeing active combat. Meanwhile, his family struggled to make ends meet during the war from their home in the United States and then in Bermuda.Major Smith was constantly, and sometimes heart-wrenchingly, torn between his loyalty to his family, the defence of Britain and Bermuda and the battle against the Nazis.The story, told for the first time in full, takes the reader through emotional highs and lows and is a detailed account with an ending few could predict. Included in the research are interviews of other war veterans Bermudians George Fisher and the late Tommy Aitchison and the detailed military activity leading to the battle which resulted in Major Smith’s death.Major Smith was described by a colonel as “the best soldier I ever had” and by another colleague as “the cream of a generation”. The book’s title is taken from a condolence letter when a writer observes how ironic and sad it was for Major Smith, after everything he had given, to be killed in the hour of his company’s victory.The book includes descriptions of bomb-ravaged London, war analysis, personal vignettes of endless wartime training as well as a critical commentary of social and business life in Bermuda and the United Kingdom during the war years.“When the letters were discovered in a box I knew after reading the very first one that there was a tremendous story to be told,” said Mr Smith. “Toby didn’t live to tell his story, but his highly personal, yet relevant account of a man at war simply had to be told. I am so honoured to have been able to contribute another very small piece to the amazing fabric of Bermuda’s history.”Major Smith is survived by his children Anthony and Winston Smith, Sandra Webb and Patricia Savage. His son Henry Smith died in 2002. His numerous grandchildren reside in the United States and Bermuda.‘In the Hour of Victory’ is available at the Bookmart at Brown and C, and the Bermuda Book Store, for $35. Mr Smith will be at the Bookmart’s corporate shopping nights on November 15 and 17 between 6pm and 9pm to sign copies.The book is the subject of a film being made by Lucinda Spurling. The film is expected to be ready for next spring’s film festival showings. Additional information and some reader comments can also be found at the book’s Facebook page under its title ‘In the Hour of Victory’.