{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/15300/untitled-3079.jpeg","width":3918,"height":5485,"altText":"Sarah Mirkin smiling at the camera while wearing a blue Beavers polo shirt and holding a book titled \u0027Bedtime Stories\u0027","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003ESarah, a 7 year old Beaver, has won a national writing competition for her story about an ex-RAF navigator and Krio culture.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter visiting an exhibition about Krio culture, Sarah was inspired to write about her heritage (being part Krio herself \u2013 from Freetown, Sierra Leone in West Africa).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne famous Krio in particular \u2013 an important serviceman with an incredible story, John Henry Smythe \u00AD\u2013 became the focus for Sarah\u2019s writing. He was one of the few West Africans to serve in the RAF during the Second World War.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESmythe flew more than double the number of missions than the average navigator, earning a reputation for being lucky as he always managed to return safely, despite receiving fire on many instances.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn 18 November 1943, he was struck down by enemy fire and spent 18 months in a Prisoner of War camp until he was freed. He went on to support demobilised airmen returning to Africa and the Caribbean. He then trained as a barrister and finally became the Attorney General of Sierra Leone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe can certainly see why Sarah was inspired.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESarah said, \u2018I feel proud winning this competition because now people know more about the Krio culture. It\u2019s good for children to know about their grandparents and relatives because then they are proud of who they are.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESarah\u2019s mum said, \u2018Scouts\u2019 ethos of commemorating servicemen on Remembrance Day has helped shape Sarah.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can read Sarah\u2019s story in Bedtime Stories: Beautiful Black Tales from the Past.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA massive congratulation to Sarah. We can\u2019t wait to read what you write next!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"10 November 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Why we remember","url":"/news/2020/october/why-we-remember/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Remembrance","url":"/supporters/remembrance/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Black History Month","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"id":48677,"nodeName":"Sarah, a Beaver Scout, wins national writing competition for her Krio RAF story","title":"Sarah, a Beaver Scout, wins national writing competition for her Krio RAF story","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/15301/untitled-3083.jpeg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1aada120","caption":"Sarah Mirkin Beaver (1)","type":"jpeg","size":1459083,"width":5173,"height":3695,"altText":"Sarah Mirkin, wearing a blue Beavers polo shirt, smiles at the camera while sitting and holding a book called \u0027Bedtime Stories\u0027"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Sarah, a Beaver Scout, wins national writing competition for her Krio RAF story","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Sarah was inspired by John Henry Smythe, an important serviceman with an incredible story","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY3NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/november/sarah-a-beaver-scout-wins-national-writing-competition-for-her-krio-raf-story/"}