Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Norman was the youngest child of Cornish born Sydney Smith and his wife Mary Sarah (nee Lees). They had married in Sunderland in 1889 and had three daughters, Dora, Hilda and Maud and a son Sydney, before Norman was born on 13th August 1899. Mary died in 1907 and father Sydney in 1910. The 1911 census shows older brother Sydney as the head of the household living at 163 High Street East, Wallsend with his younger siblings and their maternal grandmother.

At the end of March 1913 Norman arrived in Canada on board the SS Corinthian with a party of Barnados’ children and was placed with the Prout family at Chantler’s Farm in Welland, Ontario. In December 1916, Norman who was underage at the time enlisted with the 176th Battalion CEF, giving as his next of kin his sister Hilda living in Myrtle Street, Wallsend. Sailing with them to England, Private 8510119 arrived in Liverpool at the beginning of May 1917; the authorities in England were stricter about accepting underage recruits and in August Norman was posted to the Young Soldiers’ Battalion at Bexhill.

Just after his 19th birthday, now fully of age to serve at the front, he was posted to the 3rd (Toronto) Battalion and joined them in France on 19th September 1918 at Hendecourt as part of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. Just over a week later he was shot in the right hand in an attack on Bourlon Wood. Although his wound was only slight, after treatment at the 1st South African Hospital at Abbeville, he was invalided to England on HS Stad Antwerpen and admitted to Whipps Cross War Hospital, Leytonstone.

Diagnosed with a fracture of his little finger right hand and with his wound not healing, Norman was transferred to Horton War Hospital, Epsom, on 11th October where he remained for six weeks before moving to Woodcote Park for convalescence. Finally discharged to duty on 16th December 1918, after sick furlough he was attached to the 12th Reserve Battalion at the embarkation Camp at Kinmel Park, North Wales, prior to his return to Canada in mid January. Granted landing leave Norman was demobilised in Toronto on 21st February 1919.

The following year Norman was lodging in Toronto and on 10th November 1925 he married American Thelma Alice Garner at Welland, Ontario. A few years later the couple settled in Stamford Township, Ontario, where he worked as a customs inspector.

Norman Smith died on 13th March 1943 following a cerebral haemorrhage and is buried in Lundy’s Lane Cemetery, Stamford Township, Ontario.

Norman Smith is remembered in Wallsend on W7.19 page 35