Ploegsteert Memorial
Ploegsteert Memorial 2016
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
George William Smith was born 1889 in Kyo, Annfield Plain, County Durham, one of 10 children, 3 boys, 6 girls and 1 deceased, born to Thomas Smith (1850) from Richmond in Yorkshire and Hannah Jane Bulmer (1853) native of Kyo, Annfield Plain. They were married in June 1873 in the district of Durham. His father worked at the colliery as a banksman, in charge of the loading and unloading of the cage at the head and signalling the descent of the workmen, George was employed as a coal screener sorting out the stones, slates and brasses from the coal brought to the surface, the family lived at 34, Dene Bridge Row, Ferryhill.
George William Smith enlisted at Ferryhill in September 1914 and was assigned to the 14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 23771. The 14th Battalion was attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division and were moved to Aylesbury and on to Hatton Park in October, going into billets in High Wycombe for the winter and back to Hatton Park in April 1915 and finally to Whitley in the July. Mobilised September 6th 1915 the battalion was sent via Folkestone to France landing at Boulogne September 11th.
Upon their arrival they were entrained for St Omer district near Nielles les Ardres and prepared for service in the front line. September 25th 1915 the battalion had the first experience of total war as they were moved into the reserve trenches on the Loos battlefield. By November they found themselves defending Potijze. George William’s full military record no longer exists, destroyed during the blitz of WW2, however at some point he was later transferred to the 11th Battalion Durham Light infantry, retaining the same serial number and finally was assigned to the 9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 38967. The 9th Northumberland Fusiliers remained on the Western Front until the end of WW1 as part of the 34th Division taking part in 1918 in the Third Battle of Ypres, the First Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Lys April 7-29th 1918.
Private 38967 George William Smith Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action April 11th 1918, he was 29 years old and single. George William has no known grave, his sacrifice is recorded on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing, near Ypres in Belgium, panel 2.
The awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal along with all monies owed to him and a pension were awarded to his father Thomas as his sole beneficiary.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
George William Smith is remembered at Chilton on C107.04, C107.08, C107.09 and C107.12
