| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Private Tom Smelt of the 4th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards) was killed in action on 23 Apr 1917, during the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe, part of the wider Battle of Arras. He was initially posted as missing and the Beverley Guardian of 9 Jun 1917 contained an appeal from his wife for any information. It wasn’t until Feb 1918 that he was officially confirmed as killed. His body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star and the War and Victory Medals.
Tom enlisted early in the war and had arrived in France on 18 Apr 1915, serving with the 5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, the “Beverley Terriers.
Tom was born in Beverley the 9 May 1892 and baptised at St Mary’s Church the same day, the son of Samuel and Rachel Smelt, both of Beverley. Samuel was a bricklayer. Tom had four brothers and four sisters. The family home was in School Lane (off Walkergate) and later in Prince’s Gardens. Tom was employed as a tanners’ labourer at Hodgson and Sons’ Tannery. In 1913 he married Maggie Spivey, they lived at 43 Lurk Lane and had three children, Roy born 1912, George born 1913 and Phyllis born 1914. Tom was a member of the Oddfellows Friendly Society.
Maggie is recorded in 1939 living at 16 Keldgate with her son, George, a joiner. She died in 1962. Tom is remembered on the street shrine for St Andrew Street, and the Hengate and East Riding Memorials.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |