Francis Edward Smith

Rank:

Private

Regimental number:

55707

Unit at enlistment:

19th Battalion

Force:

C.E.F.

Volunteered or conscripted:

Volunteered

Survived the war:

Wounded:

Yes

Date of death:

October 7th, 1916

Cemetery:

Contay British Cemetery - Somme, France - III.B.2.

Birth country:

England

Birth county:

Greater London

Birth city:

London, Brent, Willesden

Address at enlistment:

28 Brighton Row, Brantford, Ontario

Next of kin address:

117 Victoria Street, Brantford, Ontario

Trade or calling:

Labourer

Employer:

Massey-Harris Co.

Religious denominations:

Church of England

Marital status:

Single

Age at enlistment:

Letters and documents

Circumstances of service: Killed

Cause and Place of Death: Died of Wounds – No. 9. Casualty Clearing Station – GSW both Legs Amputated.

BX October 20, 1916

To Private Joseph W. Smith, 28 Brighton Row, in khaki himself with the 215th Battalion, came the unwelcome news this morning that his brother, Pte. Francis Edward Smith of the 19th Battalion had been wounded at the front and admitted to No. 4 Ambulance hospital on September 28. His wounds are reported to be gunshot wounds and fracture of the legs. He has been at the front for two years and was formerly employed at the Massey-Harris Co. He is unmarried. His father is living in London, Eng.

BX October 24, 1916

Today’s casualty list officially reports Private F.E. Smith of Brantford as having died of wounds. “This casualty was mentioned a few days ago in The Expositor.

BX October 26, 1916

Brantford Casualties – Private F.E. Smith Yesterday Reported Wounded, Died of Wounds

Two days after he had received the sad news that his brother, Pte. Francis Edward Smith, of the 19th Battalion, had been wounded, came the word to Corp. Joseph W. Smith of the 215th Battalion, that his brother had died of his wounds. Death occurred at No. 9 Casualty Clearing station, on Oct. 7. His injuries were gunshot wounds, necessitating the amputation of his legs. Private Smith has been at the front for about two years and was formerly employed by the Massey-Harris Co. He is unmarried and his Brantford address was 28 Brighton Row. His father is living in London, England.

BX January 10, 1917

Private F. Smith’s Death Was Heroic – Rescued Man Who Was Buried by Explosion of German Shell

Mrs. Helen Smith has received a letter from Wheeler Jack Smith, giving details of the heroic death of her brother, Pte. Frank E. Smith, a former employee of the Massey-Harris Company here, which took place in October last. Wheeler J. Smith wrote, in part:

I met poor Frank’s sergeant yesterday and he started to cry like a child when he saw me, so I asked him what was the matter, and he told me how Frank died. We must be proud of our brother, for he gave his life for his sergeant. The sergeant was wounded and buried up to his neck, and the Germans were sending over gas shells at the time, and Frank took his own helmet and put it on his sergeant, dug him out and carried him to the dressing station, and poor boy, he himself was hit, but he never gave in till his job was done.