No.43586, Private, John Stanley SMITH
Aged 24
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John Stanley Smith was born in 1893 in Dullingham (Newmarket Q4-1893 3B:503), son of John William and Elizabeth SMITH (née GUNTON ?).
1901 census...Aged 7, he was at Station Road, Dullingham, with his father, John William SMITH[34] a carpenter; his mother Elizabeth [34] born in Cambridge; sisters Daisy [14], Marjory [9] and Nina [4]. Except for his mother, they were all born in Dullingham. 1911 census...Aged 17, a carpenter's labourer, he was at The Royal Oak, Station Road, Dullingham with his parents, sister Nina and brothers Reginald [7], Ralph [5] and Wilfred [3], all born in Dullingham. Later, CWGC have his parents at Mill Farm, Fulbourn. The pension card gives the address of hs mother as Mrs Elizabeth Smith of "Fair View", Arbury Road, Chesterton, Cambridge |
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No Army records have been found, but he enlisted in Cambridge according to "Soldiers Died". "Died" in the records can mean many things, illness, accident or wounds (even execution) but without further evidence, nothing definite can stated here. The 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment were in trenches between Ribecourt and Marcoing on 30th September and attacked Rumilly on the 1st October. This attack was only partially successful. Over 300 prisoners were taken but by that time the barrage was lost and German machine gun fire made further progress by the left company impossible. The right company did manage to get through the village which was cleared in the evening. All this however took place near Cambrai, not Mons, and he was taken by the Germans to the Boys school at Boulevard Dolez,Mons. It is not clear where or when he was found, but the German records have him dying on 2nd October. They record him as being in H Company, 2nd Suffolk, 76 Brigade, 3rd Division. |
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