| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
John Smith was born in Beverley in 1881, the son of William Smith and Rose (nee Bennison). Five of their six sons served during the war.
John served as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, 78th Field Company in the Nord district of France and died of wounds on 4 Nov 1918, he was buried and is “Remembered with Honour” in the Forest Communal Cemetery, Nord, France. He was awarded the British War and Victory medals and his name appears on the Beverley War Memorial.
Of the five Smith brothers who served, two were killed, John in Nov 1918 and Harold who died in Limburg Prisoner of War camp in Apr 1918.
Following John’s death a report was published in the Beverley Guardian dated 7 Dec 1918 stating that he had been employed as a painter at Richard Hodgson & Sons Ltd, that he took a keen interest in the Beverley Branch of the St John’s Ambulance and was a member for over eighteen years. Among his other interests was the Beverley Fanciers Society, at one time acting as Secretary, and he was a member of the Beverley Harriers. He was a Sunday School teacher at the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Wednesday Market and married Hilda Gorbutt there in Jul 1906. John and Hilda had three children, all of whom were baptised at the Primitive Chapel; John, Harold and Hilda.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |