57941 Lance-Corporal Albert Edward
Smith of the 20th Canadians was a patient at Beechland House in 1916 and 1917.
His entry in Nurse Oliver’s album reads:
“Beechlands” 27/11/16
Good luck be with you all your days,
Your hearts desires be granted.
And in the garden of your life,
The fairest flowers be planted.
May you be ever blythe and gay
Of Silver never lacking
And if a care should come your way
Why laugh and send it packing.
L/Cpl. A.E Smith
20th Canadians
Wounded at St Eloi, Belgium. June 13th
1916.
He was born on 19th May 1894 at Canterbury in Kent and appears on the 1901 census living at 7 Abbots Place Canterbury. The household comprised: Tom Smith (head, married, aged 47, working as a general labourer),
his wife Fanny Smith (aged 37) and seven children: James H Smith (aged 13), Therese M Smith (aged 11), Fanny A Smith (aged
nine), Albert (aged seven, and recorded on the census as “Albert F Smith”), Edith M Smith (aged six), Eva E Smith
(aged two) and Thomas W Smith (aged two months).
I am unsure when Albert emigrated
but by 9th November 1914 he was living in Toronto, Canada and presenting himself at a recruiting office there.
His attestation papers give his next of kin as his mother, Mrs F G Smith (still living at 7 Abbots Place in Canterbury) and his trade as waiter. At the time
of his attestation, Smith belonged to the 35th regiment of militia. He was five
feet, six and three quarter inches tall and had a scar on the fore finger of his right hand.
A medical examination the previous day had passed him fit for the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force.
Smith arrived in England on 24th May 1915 aboard the SS Megautie. Exactly one week later he was appointed lance-corporal.
In August 1915 he was admitted
to hospital with phlebitis, transferred to base on 1st September and then transferred again to Grange Hospital
on 6th September. Surviving records then give two different dates for his transfer
to the 30th Reserve Battalion at Shornecliffe – 11th and 14th September 1915.
Smith was then in and out of various
hospitals: Moore Barracks Hospital on 12th October, Walmer War Hospital in Deal, Kent
on Christmas Day 1915 and the Canadian Hospital in January 1916. On 15th March he was
taken on strength but the following day was at Woodcote Park Hospital, Epsom before being transferred to the Canadian Convalescent
Hospital (on 16th March) and then to the London War Hospital at Epsom on 21st March.
He then spent further spells at Monks Horton and the Canadian Convalescent Hospital
before being finally returned to the 20th Battalion CEF on 6th June. The following
day he was in France (having reverted to the rank of private), joining his unit on the 9th. He complained of a pain in his groin that month but before any action could be taken, he was wounded on
12th June, being admitted to No 13 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne with a gunshot wound to his right
thigh, elbow and nose.
On 19th June 1916 he was admitted to the Hospital Ship HS Jan Breydel and found himself in
hospital in Folkestone, admitted (according to his records) with a shell wound to his right thigh. The following day he was transferred to Dartford War Hospital.
Between June and September 1916,
Smith continued his tour of hospitals in southern England, spending time, (in sequence)
at Epsom, Folkestone and Epsom again. In October 1916 he had his appendix removed.
Later that month (the 29th),
a notice of marriage by licence was given by Alice Ada West to marry Albert Smith. He
is described on the licence as a bachelor, aged 28 years (although he was 22), a private in the 20th Battalion
Canadian Infantry and a motor lorry driver. His address is given as The Rowans,
Eldridge Road, Grappham in the District of Midhurst, W Sussex. Length
of residence at that address is given as one day.
On
27th
November 1916, Smith left his entry
in Nurse Oliver’s album. Although he had been wounded at St Eloi he was
almost certainly at Beechlands as a result of the operation to remove his appendix.
In
The Sussex Express edition of 26th January 1917, Smith makes an appearance as follows:
WHIST DRIVE - A whist drive was held in the Reading Room on Wednesday in aid of the Red Cross Hospital ‘Bucklands’,
[sic] Newick. There were 24 ½ tables
and the funds will benefit by £2,2s. The prizes and winners were … Gentlemen
… 3rd, Private Magginniss [sic], pipe rack, 170 points; hidden number, Rifleman F Head, money purse, 163
points. For wounded soldiers only: 1st, Corporal Reynolds (bogey,
bogey), 100 cigarettes, 169 points; lowest, Private Proctor, 10 cigarettes, 137 points, hidden number, Corporal Smith (better known as “Canada”), 50 cigarettes, 78 points.
The prizes, which, with the refreshments, and a box of cigars, for wounded soldiers only, the gift of a lady), were
given away by Mrs Oldaker, to whom a hearty vote of thanks were recorded…
The
following month he appeared as a Merchant in the Beechlands pantomime performance of Beauty and the Beast and at the same
time, had his previous rank of lance-corporal officially re-instated.
On
16th February, Smith was discharged from the 2nd Eastern General Hospital and was then posted to the 2nd Canadian Command Depot.
On 24th July 1917, the proceedings
of Smith’s Medical Board at West
Sandling were recorded on his service
record. His local unit is given as the 5th Reserve and his overseas’ unit
as the 20th Battalion. The board reported:
“Was
wounded over crest of rt ilium [a bone forming part of the pelvis]. Bullet removed
from over …. Thigh. Wound healed.
There is also a scar over appendix operative. Complains of pain on marching
due to adhesions. Equipment irritates scar over ilium. G S Fair. Heart & Lungs normal”
A classification of B2 was recommended
and Smith was posted back to the Central Ontario Depot. On 30th October 1917, Smith was shipped back to Canada and struck off strength on 6th November. On
the 14th he went into a convalescent home in Toronto.
A medical board held at Quebec on
1st December 1917, giving Smith’s rank as corporal and his previous occupation as carriage builder,
noted right inguinal hernia, scar tissue preventing movement of hip and chronic bronchitis.
“3 weeks in France. Wounded through thigh by bullet in Rt
thigh June 12 - 16. Bullet removed. Had
appendicitis and was operated upon in October 1916. Present - scar extending
from over crest of rt illium to junction of middle [unclear]. Ligament - small
hernia, rt inguinal. Some limitation of movement of Rt hip due to scar tissue. Chronic Bronchitis. Had coughed a little
before enlistment - has seen active service. Other organs normal. Limitation of movement of hip is about 20%”
Smith gave his address on discharge
as 52 Scott Street, Orillia, Ontario. He was supplied with a double truss for
his hernia which, together with the phlebitis, were deemed to be permanent disabilities.
The board estimated that the pain in his right groin would last between two and six months and recommended that he
be discharged as physically unfit for service - category E.
It is unclear whether Smith married
Ada West although the marriage licence is date stamped 14th February 1918.
For the period he was wounded,
the war diary of the 20th Canadians reads as follows:
12th June 1916
BLUFF TRENCHES
Very wet and misty all day. Front line situation quiet during day. Enemy
retaliated on our right trenches with 12-5.9’s for registering done by our TM Battery.
Our artillery active during day. Heavy shelling by our heavies for half
an hour at 8pm on enemy front on our left. SHROPSHIRE L.I. relieved
the 1st N.F. on our right during night of 11th & 12th. Casualties 5 wounded
(shell wounds).
13th June 1916
BLUFF TRENCHES
Very wet all day. At 12:45am our heavies opened heavy bombardment which continued until 4am on
enemy front on our left to cover operation by infantry against enemy positions south of HOOGE.
We co-operated with Stokes guns and T.M.’s as per operation order attached No 10.
Enemy retaliation on our lines was practically NIL. Our front was quiet
during daytime, a few heavy T.M.’s fell in our lines at 5pm. Casualties,
3 O.R. wounded by T.M. bomb.
Smith’s entry in Nurse Oliver’s
album shares the page with a group photo of wounded soldiers at Beechlands in late 1916.
A Canadian soldier sits cross-legged, front left and I have often wondered whether this is the hapless Albert Smith.
Sources and Acknowledgements
· Albert
Smith’s service record exists at the National Archives of Canada: RG 150, Acc. 1992-93/166, Box 9002 – 14
· The
Sussex Express 1917 - Shelfmark 483 [weekly publication]
· 20th
Canadians War Diary
