Harold William Smith

A Private with the 1/5th Battalion, Harold died on 19th of April 1917 at the age of 21. 

Harold was born at Snape, Suffolk, in 1896, a son of Edward and Annie Maria Smith. In 1901 his family lived at Farnham Road, Snape. By 1911 they were living at 3 Sizewell Road, Leiston, and Harold was a brickmaker’s labourer. Later his family lived at 16 Essex Road, Lowestoft.

Harold volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Ipswich in 1914. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 3/9029. On 15 September 1914 he arrived in France to join the 2nd Battalion. At some point he was posted to the 7th Battalion. On 16 February 1916 Harold was posted to the 1/5th Battalion, in Egypt, and given service number 3963. In 1917 he was renumbered 241330.

On 19 April 1917 the 1/5th Battalion were in the brigade reserve of 163rd Brigade. At 7.15 a.m. the brigade began an attack at Gaza with trenches, known as Tank Redoubt, about 2,000 yards behind the Sheikh Abbas ridge, as their objective. The other battalions of the brigade suffered heavy casualties. At noon the 1/5th Battalion advanced and were able to dig themselves in on a slope on which they found many casualties from the other battalions. They spent the night collecting wounded and because their positions was isolated and unsupported they had to withdraw. Pop

Harold was reported wounded and missing at Gaza, and it was later concluded that he had been killed inaction on 19 April.