Tilly Smith (born 1994) is an English woman who has been credited with saving the lives of about 100 beachgoers at Mai Khao Beach in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

by warning them minutes before the arrival of the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Smith, who was ten years old at the time, had learned about tsunamis in her geography class.

Background

Smith was educated at

Danes Hill School Oxshott is a suburban village in the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England. Oxshott includes hilly acidic heath which is partly wooded (see Esher Commons and Prince's Coverts) and occupies the land between the large towns of Esher and Leatherh ...

, an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in the village of

Oxshott Oxshott is a suburban village in the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England. Oxshott includes hilly acidic heath which is partly wooded (see Esher Commons and Prince's Coverts) and occupies the land between the large towns of Esher and Leatherhead ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, followed by

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

, a boarding independent school in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. Smith learned about tsunamis in a geography lesson two weeks before the tsunami from her teacher Andrew Kearney at

"Award for tsunami warning pupil"
''BBC News'' 9 September 2005, retrieved 19 March 2008 in

. She recognised the signs and alerted her parents, who warned others on the beach and the staff at the hotel in

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

where they were staying. The beach was evacuated before the tsunami reached shore, and was one of the few beaches on the island with no reported casualties. Smith's family declined requests to be interviewed by commercial and national broadcasters, but Smith appeared at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in November 2005, where she met the U.N. Special Envoy for Tsunami Relief,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, and at the first anniversary in Phuket, as part of a campaign to highlight the importance of education.

Awards and recognition

On 9 September 2005 Smith received the

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classics, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country ...

Special Award of

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets The Marine Society & Sea Cadets is seafarers' charity in the United Kingdom and the national organisation for sea cadets. It was formed in 2004 when the Sea Cadets and The Marine Society merged. It is a registered charity in England, Wales and S ...

from

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

, Vice-Admiral Sir

James Burnell-Nugent Admiral Sir James Michael Burnell-Nugent, (born 20 November 1949) is a retired Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief Fleet from 2005 to 2007. Early life and education Burnell-Nugent was educated at Stowe School, then an all-boys p ...

. Minor planet 20002 Tillysmith has been named after her. In December 2005, Smith was named "Child of the Year" by the French magazine ''Mon Quotidien'' (a magazine targeted to young readers). At the official tsunami commemorations on the first anniversary of the tsunami held at

Khao Lak Khao Lak ( th, เขาหลัก, ) is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand. The name "Khao Lak" literally translated means 'Mai ...

, Thailand on 26 December 2005, she was given the honour of reading a poem to thousands of spectators. Smith's story is incorporated into many teaching resources for children about earthquakes, tsunamis and how to stay safe.

References

External links

News article
from

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

Video interview
by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Tilly 1994 births Living people 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami English children People from Surrey Date of birth missing (living people)