No.20802, Private, William Frederick SMITH
Aged 27
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William Frederick Smith was born in 1890 in Dullingham (Newmarket Q3-1890 3B:488), baptised on 91th June 1890 in Dullingham, son of Charles William Starling and Emmeline
SMITH (née AGER).
1891 census...Aged 10 months, he was at The Royal Oak, Station Road, Dullingham, with his father Charles SMITH [31] publican/carpenter, born in Dullingham; his mother Emmalina [33] born Honington, Suffolk and his grandmother Mary Ann AGER [57], born Honington. 1901 census...Aged 10, he was at The Royal Oak still , with his parents. His grandmother had died and his grandfather James AGER [76] was there with them. 1911 census...Aged 21, a general labourer, he was at Eagle Lane with his parents, father now a journeyman carpenter. On 16th August 1916 in Dullingham he married Dorothy Mary HEARN [25-6-1890]. He was in the 3rd Battalion Suffolk Regiment at the time, his father was a carpenter. His wife was later at 27 Galton Street, Paddington, London. They had one daughter, Gertrude Mabel [19-12-1916] |
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Enlisted in Newmarket, resident of Dullingham. His date of death on the memorial (14th December 1917) is different to that in the Army records but all the
evidence points to this being the man. The 7th suffered more casualties than any other KSLI battalion, with 1048 killed in action or died during the war, and earned more battle honours than any other KSLI battalion. The battalion were involved in the battle of Cambrai, but as he died of his wounds and his Army records have not been found, there is no telling where and when he was wounded. From "The History of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in the Great War", the movements of the 7th Battalion in December 1917, can be summarised as follows:- The battalion relieved the 2nd Royal Scots in the Vaulx sector on the 4th December, remaining in the line until the 11th'. The 7th then marched to camp at Mory. On the 16th they marched to Blaireville for rest and on the 16th they relieved the 8th Bedfords in the trenches, where Christmas Day was spent. They were then relieved by the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers on the 26th. The 7th then took over the new trenches at Noreuil. 'These trenches had no cover, the snow was six inches deep, the weather intensely cold, and there were many casualties'. 'On the evening of the 29th December, the battalion was relieved and marched to Dysart Camp, proceeding on the following day to camp at Hamelincourt, where they remained till the end of the month'. During this period, 3 other ranks were killed, 7 wounded. During the severe weather in the latter part of the month 118 other ranks were evacuated to the Field Ambulance. It is of course possible that William's death could have been the result of exposure to the extreme weather if 118 men needed treatment |
photo: Rodney Gibson
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