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Major
GEORGE HENRY GOULD SMITH, M.B.E.
Royal Engineers

 by

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis
Ó 2019.  All Rights Reserved.  

Figure 1.  Major G.H.G. Smith, M.B.E., R.E., c. 1939.

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            The principal references used in the preparation of this narrative were from a number of sources.  They include census records, official registries in the United Kingdom, internet web sites (primarily Ancestry.com and Wikipedia), The London Gazette and the officer’s service papers.  All sources are contained in the REFERENCE section at the end of the narrative and are cited throughout in the ENDNOTES.  Every effort has been made to accurately portray the life and military service of Major Smith.  In this narrative George Henry Gould Smith will be referred to as George Henry as a youth and then as G.H.G. Smith later in his life.      

2.  EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION

The Smith Family

            George Henry Gould Smith’s great grandfather was one Francis Smith (1778-1844) of Monk’s Hall in Gosberton, Lincolnshire.[1]       His grandfather was Captain George Smith, DL, JP who was born on the 5^th of October 1820, the youngest son of Francis Smith.  Captain Smith attained his military rank in 1861 as an officer in the Billingborough Company of the 2^nd Lincolnshire Rifle Volunteers.[2]

            George Henry Gould Smith’s father, George Smith a solicitor, was born on the 6^th of March 1859.  He married Helen Phyllis Allison, the daughter of William Allison, a solicitor from Louth, Lincolnshire.  The Smiths were members of the Church of England.  They had three children in addition to George Henry:

·         Allison Gould Smith (1890-1917)

·         Helen Phyllis Gould Smith (1892-1971)

·         Francis (“Frank”) Gould Smith (1900-?)

            George Henry Gould Smith, the oldest of the children, was born on the 22^nd of February 1889 at Horbling, Folkingham, Lincolnshire.[3]  Young George Henry was baptized in Horbling on the 7^th of April 1889.

            The 1891 Census of England[4] provides the information shown in the table below regarding the members of the Smith family.  No specific address is given in the census for family’s home.  Helen’s name is misspelled Ellen in the census.

             The 1901 Census of England[6] provides the information shown in the table below regarding the members of the Smith family during that year. 

Education

            George Henry does not appear in the 1901 census as he was off to boarding school at that time.  He was a student at Sandroyd School.[7]  His brother Allison also attended Sandroyd School, entering a year after his older brother.

            From 1903 to 1908 George Henry attended Winchester College.  In 1908 he matriculated at Magdalene College, Oxford University.  In 1910 he won 1^st Honours in Classical Moderations[8] and in 1912 he took 2^nd Honours in Literae Humaniores[9] at Magdalene College.  While attending college he apparently lived with his uncle, one John Neve Allison who was a retired schoolmaster from Louth.  The 1911 Census of England and Wales provides information regarding his uncle’s home at 28 Dorset Road in Bexhill, East Sussex.

            George Henry’s brother Allison also was living at this address making it a home for three bachelors and an elderly housekeeper.

Figure 2.  The Home of John Neve Allison at 28 Dorset Road in Bexhill.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

            The building at 28 Dorset Road, shown in the photograph above behind the red fence, was a rather modest affair consisting of a small two-story structure very close to a railroad track, the track being located to the left of the small white building. 

            It is somewhat perplexing to understand why both George Henry and Allison were living in East Sussex while they were attending college.  It may be assumed that the Bexhill residence was where they were when the census was taken and that normally they were living on the Oxford and Cambridge campuses. 

            Allison Gould Smith had entered Winchester College from Sandroyd School in 1904.  In his last year (1909) he stood on Dress for the College XV.  He won the senior classical scholarship at Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1909 and took his degree with a second class in the Classical Tripos of 1912.[11]

(Images courtesy of Wikipedia)

            On the 15^th of October 1912, while he was still studying at Oxford, George Henry received an appointment as an Assistant Surveyor (2^nd Class) in the Post Office and on the 6^th of December 1912 he was appointed a Second Class Clerk in the Post Office.[12]  He completed his studies and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1914.[13]

            In August of 1914 Allison joined the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps (OTC).[14]  No information was uncovered during this research to indicate that Allison completed his degree requirements at Cambridge.  On the 12^th of September 1914 Allison was commissioned a Temporary 2^nd Lieutenant in the 7^th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as a Cadet from the OTC.[15]  The service of Allison Gould Smith will be discussed in detail in an Addendum to this narrative.  At this point only the military service of G.H.G. Smith will be discussed in detail.

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING  

Commissioning

            On the 27^th of February 1917 G.H.G. Smith was given a medical examination in connection with his application for a commission in the Royal Engineers Postal Service.  As part of the medical examination George had to respond to a number of questions regarding his health.  He indicated that:

·         He had never suffered from any serious illness or injury.

·         He was not presently suffering from any physical or mental infirmity or physical imperfection or disability.

·         He never suffered from “fits” of any description.

·         His near and distant vision in both eyes was good.

            He was given a visual acuity test by the examining physician and his vision was found to be 6/6 in both eyes according to the Snellen acuity scale.[16]

            Based on the results of this medical examination, G.H.G. Smith was found to be fit for service in the Army.[17]

            In support of Smith’s application for a temporary commission, the Postmaster General wrote a letter, dated the 1^st of March 1917, to the Director of Army Postal Services.  At the time Smith had been working as an employee in the Secretary’s Office of the General Post Office in London.  Smith’s commission would be as a Temporary 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers Special Reserve Postal Section and was meant to stand against one of the vacancies in that organization for subalterns authorized by the War Office.

            On the 6^th of March 1917 Smith was recommended for this appointment and was required to complete a formal application.  As with all officer applications for a commission he was required to answer the following questions:

·         Date of birth:  22 February 1889

·         Marital status: Single

·         Nationality:  British by birth

·         Father’s nationality:  British by birth

·         Permanent residence:  Horbling, Folkingham, Lincolnshire

·         Present address:  Connaught Club, Marble Arch, London

·         Occupation:  Home Civil Service – Secretary’s Office, Post Office

·         Able to ride:  No

Smith also indicated that he had never previously applied for a commission.

            On the 12^th of March 1917 Smith’s appointment recommendation was submitted to the King and on the following day it was published in the London Gazette[18] with the date of appointment as a Temporary 2^nd Lieutenant on probation with the Postal Section, Royal Engineers to take effect on the 15^th of March 1917.  However, his date of appointment subsequently was amended to the 9^th of March 1917.[19]

Training

            Since Smith’s duties in the Army were to so closely parallel the duties that he performed in the post office in civil life, he required little training in order to handle Army postal duties.  Although his service papers do not indicate any military training that he may have received, he spent more than three months in the U.K. following his appointment and prior to embarking for active service abroad.  During that period he may have been posted to the Royal Engineers Depot at Chatham, Kent for some instruction in military procedures, but surely this “training” would not have been intensive in nature.  Some of that time before embarkation may also have been spent by him in acquiring his kit and getting his personal affairs in order.  

4.  ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Service in Salonika

            Temporary 2^nd Lieutenant George Henry Gould Smith, R.E. embarked at Southampton for service in Salonika on the 27^th of June 1917.  He was headed to what was known as the Macedonian Front.  The Macedonian Front, also known as the Salonika Front, was a military theatre of operations of the Great War of 1914-1918 opened up as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia in the fall of 1915 against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal political crisis in Greece. Eventually, a stable front was established, running from the Albanian Adriatic coast to the Struma River, pitting a multinational Allied force against the Bulgarian Army, which was at various times bolstered with smaller units from the other Central Powers.[20]  By the spring of 1917 there were seven British divisions in Macedonia including two corps headquarters.  It was these units that Smith was to support with postal services.  The order of battle of the British Army in Salonika at the time is as shown here:

XII Corps

·         22nd Division

·         26th Division

·         60th (2/2nd London) Division

·         1/1st Lothians and Border Horse

XVI Corps

·         10th (Irish) Division

·         27th Division

·         28th Division

·         1/1st Surrey Yeomanry

General Headquarters Troops

·         7th Mounted Brigade

·         8th Mounted Brigade

·         16th Wing, Royal Flying Corps 

            Smith’s journey to Salonika took 18 days.  He arrived at Cherbourg, France on the day after his ship sailed from Southampton.  On the 8^th of July he arrived at Taranto, Italy and on the 15^th of July 1917 he arrived at Salonika and was officially listed “On Service.”[21]  He joined the Base Army Post Office at Salonika for duty on the 21^st of July 1917.          The Base Post Office probably was located in the vicinity of the General Headquarters Troops area.  The British Salonika Army at the time of Smith’s arrival was under the command of  Lieutenant-General George Milne.[22]

Figure 6.  Sir George Milne (as a Field Marshall)
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            On the 1^st of December 1917 G.H.G. Smith was posted to the British XII Corps.  On the 9^th of December orders listed him at the Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Service (D.A.D.P.S.) of the XII Corps. “vice 2/Lt(A/Lt) R.A.C. Routh (to Egypt) without pay and allowances of higher rank while so employed.”[23]  On the 15^th of January 1918 Smith was granted the temporary rank of Lieutenant while employed as the D.A.D.P.S. for the British XII Corps, with this appointment being backdated to the 1^st of December 1917, the date that he actually was posted to the position.  On the 26^th of February 1918 orders were published indicating that Smith would be the D.A.D.P.S. and “to be Acting Lieutenant without pay or allowances of that rank whilst so employed as of 30 November 1917.”  And if this parsimonious behaviour of the command was not enough, on the 26^th of March 1918 was told that he would be “Acting Captain without additional pay and allowances while D.A.D.P.S. 12^th Army Corps as of 12 March 1918.”[24]   One can only wonder what was going through Smith’s mind and how his enthusiasm for his work might have been affected when he was given more and more responsibility with only appointments to “acting” ranks as a reward.  However, during the Great War of 1914-1918 it appears that duty was considered to be its own reward by many senior commanders.

            Smith relinquished his appointment as the D.A.D.P.S. for the XII Corps on the 20^th of August 1918 and reverted to “Regimental Duty.”  He also relinquished his acting rank of Captain at this time, ceasing to be employed as the D.A.D.P.S.  By returning to regimental duty it is assumed that he was employed as a staff officer at the Base Army Post Office where he reported for duty on the 24^th of August.

            There was little movement of the front line in Macedonia until the major offensive in September 1918.  On the 7^th of that month Lieutenant Smith was posted back to the XII Corps headquarters and on the 21^st of September he returned to regimental duty at the Base Depot.  This movement probably was due to the collapse of the Bulgarians and an armistice declared on the 30th September 1918.[25]

            Throughout the time that Smith was in Salonika, Field and Stationary Army Post Offices were in operation as well as a Base Army Post Office.  In May of 1917, prior to his arrival, there were 49 Post Offices open  This number rose to a peak of 54 in November of 1918 excluding the Base Post Office.  Some interesting facts about postal operations in Salonika are presented by Chris Grimshaw in his work (see web site reference).  Chris lists the following activities associated with the Royal Engineers Postal Service:

• Following heavy shipping losses it was decided in the autumn of 1917 to open an Overland Route via Taranto in Italy through Italy and France to Cherbourg.  (Interestingly this was the route taken by Smith during his journey to Salonika).
• All Field and Stationary Army Post Offices where equipped with Stamps and Registration Labels and in theory Registered Mail was to exist from all the offices opened.
• Postage was Free on Active Service to Britain, The Empire and the Western Front.
• Registration Fee was 2d paid for by stamps or use of the 2d Black Forces Postal Stationary Envelope which were on sale at 2 ½d.
• Postage had to be paid for all mail to the United States of America & Foreign countries at the relevant rates.           

            As a postal officer with the General Post Office in London, Smith certainly would have been acquainted with the procedures involved in dealing with the requirements listed above, or if he was not, he would quickly have learned how to deal with them.

Figure 7.  A British Soldier in the Trenches Reading the Balkan News Probably Delivered by the Royal Engineers Postal Service.
(Photograph courtesy of the National Army Museum).  

            On the 19^th of October 1918 G.H.G. Smith was posted to Kavalla to establish Army Post Office Number 5X23 and on the 22^nd of October he was appointed to be an Acting Major (with the pay and allowances of a Lieutenant!) while holding the appointment again as the Deputy Acting Director of Postal Services.  As shown in the map below, Kavalla was located on the coast to the east of Salonika.

Figure 8.  Map of the Coast Line between Salonika and Alexandropoulos. 
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            On the 26^th of October 1918, presumably after opening the military post office at Kavalla, Major Smith was posted from the Base Headquarters at Kavalla to Dedeagatch, Greece for duty there.  He arrived at Dedeagatch on the 2^nd of November to establish Army Post Office 5X9.

            An entry in Smith’s Casualty Form shows that on the 16^th of November 1918 he moved to Army Post Office 5X24 from APO 5X3, but no geographic location is given for either of these post offices.  It may be assumed that his responsibility was to open these two new post offices in support of British troops stationed in the Balkans.  

Figure 9.  Map of Bulgaria and Greece Showing Dedeagatch.
(Map courtesy of Google.com)

Service in Russia

                Major Smith’s service in Salonika ended on the 13^th of December 1918 when he embarked for Constantinople.  His stay there was a short one, as he disembarked for duty at the British headquarters in Batoum, Turkey (later Russia) on the 23^rd of December.  There he began his service with elements of the British Salonika Army that had been sent there during the Russian Civil War between the Red and White Russians. 

            Churchill's desire to intervene in the civil war in support of the White Russians against the Bolsheviks led to the deployment of British troops to the Caucasus. Specifically, the British Salonika Army (later dubbed the Army of the Black Sea) was dispatched to Georgia in late 1918 and early 1919.  Parliamentary discussion regarding this move was put to Mr. Churchill by and a Mr. Swan who asked the Secretary of State for War whether “British troops remain at Baku or at Batoum; whether it is at the wish or request of or on an understanding with the Allied Council or any Russian government that British troops remain at or were withdrawn from these places; what expenditure is being incurred weekly in this connection; and whether any assurance can be given as to the date when British troops in Russia will be withdrawn and returned home?”

            Mr. Churchill replied to Mr. Swan that “no British troops are at Baku or in any other part of the Caucasus except Batoum on the Black Sea.  A brigade of British and Indian troops is temporarily remaining at Batoum at the request of the Foreign Office to prevent serious local disorders occurring at this particular moment.”[26]

            On the 11^th of February 1919 Major Smith was appointed Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Services at the Headquarters Base in Batoum to complete that establishment upon its formation.  He retained his acting rank and transferred with pay and allowances as a Lieutenant while he was employed at Batoum.

            The British occupied Batoum (or Batumi), Turkey in 1919, which later was ceded to Georgia, Southern Russia in 1920. The expansion of Batumi began in 1883 with the construction of the Batumi-Tiflis-Baku railway completed in 1900 and by the finishing of the Baku-Batumi pipe-line. Henceforth Batumi became the chief Russian oil port in the Black Sea. The town expanded to an extraordinary extent and the population increased very rapidly: 8,671 inhabitants in 1882, and 12,000 in 1889. By 1902 there were 16,000 in the port, 1,000 worked in the refinery for Baron Rothschild's Caspian and Black Sea oil company. On 3 March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gave the city back to the Ottoman Empire; unrest led to Turkish forces re-entry in April 1918, followed by British forces in December, who stayed until July 1920. Kemal Atatürk then ceded it to the Bolsheviks, on the condition that it be granted autonomy, for the sake of the Muslims among Batumi's mixed population.

            In May of 1919 George Henry Gould Smith was appointed a Member of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) for valuable services rendered in connection with military operations in the Balkans.[27]  On the 15^th of July 1919, while at the Batoum Base, Smith received orders to return to the U.K. for demobilization and on the 20^th of July he disembarked at Constantinople on his way home.[28]

Figure 10.  Troops of the Essex Regiment at Batoum.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

Figure 11.  Russian Cavalry at Batoum.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)

            On the 27^th of July Smith disembarked at Chanak, Turkey from Constantinople aboard R.M.L. Magdalena.  He embarked from Chanak, bound for Taranto, Italy on the 5^th of August 1919 and arrived in the U.K. about the middle of September.

Figure 12.  R.M.L. Magdalena.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Smith’s Protection Certificate (Army Form Z. 3) prior to his demobilization was issued to him on the 15^th of September 1919.  His acting rank was shown as Major and his substantive rank as Lieutenant.  His Dispersal Unit (10B) was at the Crystal Palace, where it seems that many officers were being demobilized at the time.  The Crystal Palace was the structure where the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations or The Great Exhibition, was held in Hyde Park.  The building was designed by Joseph Paxton with support from structural engineer Charles Fox, the committee overseeing its construction including Isambard Kingdom Brunel.[29]  The building was architecturally adventurous, drawing on Paxton's experience designing greenhouses.  In fact, it looked like a large greenhouse.  It took the form of a massive glass house, 1848 feet long by 454 feet wide and was constructed from cast iron-frame components and glass made almost exclusively in Birmingham and Smethwick. The Crystal Palace was considered an architectural marvel, but also an engineering triumph that showed the importance of the Exhibition itself.  The building was later moved and re-erected in 1854 in enlarged form at Sydenham Hill in south London, an area that was renamed Crystal Palace. It was destroyed by fire on 30 November 1936.

Figure 13.  The Crystal Palace.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Smith’s Army Form Z. 3 also noted that his Theatre of War had been Salonika and that the unit in which he had last served was the R.E. Postal Service.  He was noted to be in Civil Service in civil life, born in 1889, single and his Medical Category was “A” indicating that he was “able to march, see to shoot, hear well and stand active service conditions.”  Smith was demobilized on the day after his Army Form Z. 3 was issued to him and he was to relinquish his commission.  By the 7^th of November 1919 Smith was back in his home town of Horbling, Lincolnshire.

            On the 15^th of October 1920 Lieutenant G.H.G. Smith was granted the rank of Major, his appointment being submitted to the King and published in the London Gazette of this date.  He applied for his British War Medal and Victory Medal on the 28^th of September 1922 and the medals were mis-sent to him at Horbling.  The medals were returned to the Army on the 6^th of November 1922 and were then immediately re-sent to Smith at his proper address at the Connaught Club, 75 Seymour Street, Marble Arch, London W.2.

Figure 14.  A Flyer Advertising the Connaught Club.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            Now with a London address, Smith returned to his duties at the General Post Office.  In 1924 be became the Private Secretary to the Postmaster General and in 1927 he was appointed Chief Inspector of Postal Traffic.  In 1937 he was promoted to the position of Assistant Secretary to the Director of Postal Services.  His connections in the General Post Office prior to the Great War and his considerable experience with starting up Army post offices in the Balkans surely helped him to attain these rather prestigious positions within the G.P.O. 

            Smith’s war had not been one filled with danger or excitement.  He played a very important role in getting mail to the troops in the field, which of course has always been a most important morale booster in all wars.  His living accommodations in the Balkans surely were not luxurious and he was made to relocate many times in support of the forces operating at or near Salonika, Kavalla, Dedeagatch and Batoum.  He did all this with the pay and allowances of a Lieutenant while performing the duties of a Major as the Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Services in these various locations.  His service papers do not indicate that he ever complained about the parsimonious attitude of the Army regarding his pay while performing duties many levels above his pay grade.  His attitude in this regard can only be considered to be commendable and patriotic.  He certainly was not a self-serving individual.

* * *

            The life and military service of Major George Henry Gould Smith. M.B.E., R.E. has been presented above in narrative form based on the author’s interpretation of the events in his life as they have been found in various documents relating to him.  In the following sections significant events in his life will be presented in tabular form for ready reference by the reader and for greater ease in determining where he was and what he was doing at a specific time in his life.

* * *

5.  PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

a.  Promotions:  George Henry Gould Smith received the following promotions during his time in the Army:

NOTE:  It is astonishing in Smith’s case to see how he was bounced up and down in rank, given additional responsibilities, yet was denied the pay and allowances that should have accompanied his rank and responsibilities because of the penurious policies of the War Office.  

b.                  Appointments:  Major Smith received the following appointments during his time in the Army:

 6.  MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS  

a.  Military Training:  As indicated in the narrative, it does not appear that Smith received any significant military training.  The time from his commission to his departure for Salonika was approximately 3 months and 18 days.  This would have been enough time for some introductory training in military customs and procedures as well as time to procure his kit for active service.  Based on the duties to which he would be assigned it is not difficult to assume that his work experience in civil life would be adequate for him to perform as a staff officer in the Royal Engineers Postal Service.  

b. Qualifications:  Smith earned the following qualifications prior to, during and after  his time in the Army.

 7.  MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS  

            Major Smith received the following medals, awards and decorations during his time in military service:[30]

             The front and back of Smith’s medal index card are shown below.  The front of the card shows his initial rank on commissioning as 2^nd Lieutenant (2/Lieut) and his rank on demobilization as Acting Major (A/Major).  It shows that he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal and it also indicates his award of the M.B.E.  His date of entering the theatre of war (Salonika) is shown as 15.7.17.  There is another date 3.10.22 for which no explanation is given on the card.  He already had been demobilized by this date and it was only five days prior to him being granted the substantive rank of Major.  The reverse of the Medal Index Card shows the date that Smith applied for his medals and the erroneous address to which the medal were first sent and then returned and resent.

Figure 15.  The Front Side of Major Smith’s Medal Index Card.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)  

Figure 16.  The Back Side of Major Smith’s Medal Index Card.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Figure 17.  The Medals of Major George Henry Gould Smith, M.B.E., R.E.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

8.  MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION  

             No information has been uncovered to indicate that G.H.G. Smith ever married.  It appears that over the course of his life he maintained close contact with his family members in Lincolnshire, claiming Horbling as his home address even at the time of his death.  He seems to have been particularly close to his sister, Helen Phyllis Gould Smith.  Nothing was uncovered during the research to indicate that he maintained a close relationship with his brother Francis.  

9.  RELEASE FROM MILITARY SERVICE  

            Major Smith was released from military service on the 16^th of September 1919 .  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

 10.  POST SERVICE LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION

Post Service Life
            London Electoral Records show that G.H.G. Smith lived at 59 Ashworth Mansions, Grantully Road, London W.9. from 1931 to 1939, presumably during the period that he worked at the General Post Office after the war.

Figure 18.  The General Post Office, London.
(Image courtesy of Google.com)

Figure 19.  Ashworth Mansions, Grantully Road, London W.9.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth).

            By the early 1950s it appears that he was in retirement.  On the 20^th of March 1954 he departed from London aboard S.S. Chusan bound for Yokohama, Japan.  He was a 65-year old first class passenger who listed his occupation as “Retired.”  His U.K. address at this time was 8 Avenue Mansions, London, N.W.3.  He was a member of the United University Club.  The United University Club was a London gentlemen's club, founded in 1821. It occupied the purpose-built University Club House, at 1, Suffolk Street in London.

Figure 20.  8 Avenue Mansions, London, N.W.3.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)

                At the time of his death at age 76 on the 26^th of January 1965, George Henry Gould Smith, M.B.E. was living in Suite 50 of the Princes Hotel in Folkestone, Kent.   Up until 1933 the Princes Hotel was known as Hundert’s Hotel.  Although he was residing in Folkestone, he still maintained his home address at Horbling Hall, Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

            On his death his will was probated at Lincoln and his heirs were listed as his sister, Helen Phyllis Gould Smith, a widow, and Harry Bowden, a solicitor.  No reference could be found regarding the relationship between Smith and Bowden.  They were either friends or professional associates.  At the time of his death Smith’s effects amounted to £74,296 (about $1,933,563 in 2019 U.S. Dollars). 

Figure 21.  Hundert’s Hotel (later the Princes Hotel) in Folkestone, Kent.
(Image courtesy of Google.com)

Family Information

            On the 18^th of January 1891 George Henry’s grandfather, Captain George Smith, passed away.

            Smith’s mother, Helen Phyllis Smith, died suddenly after a seizure, on the 15^th of December 1913 at the age of 53.[32]  George Henry was at Oxford University at the time.

            On the 17^th of October 1931 Smith’s uncle, Henry Smith, died leaving George Henry the sum of £500 in his will.  At this time George Henry was the Chief Inspector of Postal Traffic at the General Post Office in London.  In 1931 £500 was the equivalent of about    US $3,700 (about US $59,500 in 2019 currency).

            George Henry’s father, George Smith, died in February of 1945.

            His sister Helen outlived George Henry by about six and a half years.  She died on the 17^th of June 1971 at the age of 79.  Her address at the time of her death was Densome Woodgreen, Fordingbridge, Hampshire.  Her will was probated in Nottingham and her effects amount to £54,091 (approximately $1,028,000 in 2019 US Dollars).  The entry in the 1971 Probate Calendar does not indicate her heir or heirs.

            George Henry’s brother Francis (“Frank”) G. Smith was born on the 18^th of September 1900.  The 1939 England and Wales Register shows Francis Gould Smith and his wife Ada C.G. Smith residing at Horbling Hall in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire.  Francis was a solicitor.  The Register shows that Francis and Ada had two domestic servants, one Mary Headland, age 28, and one Beatrice Howard, age 19.  A 1939 passenger list shows the couple traveling to South Africa.  Based on a search of Ancestry.com, it is believed that Francis G. Smith died in September 1964 at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

            The last of George Henry Gould Smith’s relatives to be discussed is his younger brother Allison Gould Smith.  Allison’s served in the Great War like his brother did, only Allison served in the infantry and gave the last full measure of his life for King and Country.  His military service is discussed in detail in Addendum No. 1 below.

ADDENDUM NO. 1.

The Military Service of Allison Gould Smith, M.C.  

Figure 22.  Captain Allison Gould Smith, M.C., 7^th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
(Photograph courtesy of the South Lincolnshire War Memorial)  

            Allison Gould Smith had joined the Inns of Court Officers Training Corps (OTC) in August of 1914.  He was commissioned a Temporary 2^nd Lieutenant on the 12^th of September 1914[33] and he embarked for France on the 17^th of July 1915.  Although his Medal Index Card shows that he was in the 1^st Battalion, this is thought to be in error.  He actually was with the 7th (Service) Battalion, which landed at Boulogne as part of the 56th Brigade in the 19th (Western) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. 

            The 19^th (Western) Division was established by the Western Command in September of 1914.  The units of the Division initially concentrated in the Bulford area with the infantry being at Tidworth, Ludgershall and Grately. The battalions moved into billets for the winter, in Andover, Whitchurch, Basingstoke and Weston-super-Mare. In March 1915 all units concentrated near Tidworth.  Advanced parties left for France on the 11^th of July 1915 and the main body crossed the English Channel between the 16^th and 21^st of July. Units of the division initially moved to the point of assembly near St Omer.[34]

Figure 23.  The Medal Index Card of Captain Allison Gould Smith.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)
            Allison Gould Smith served on the Western Front with the 19^th Division.  In 1915 the division took part in the action of Pietre, which was a supporting/diversionary action during the Battle of Loos. 

            In 1916 the division was engaged in the Battle of Albert, in which it captured La Boisselle, the attacks on High Wood, the Battle of Pozieres Ridge, the Battle of the Ancre Heights and the Battle of the Ancre. All of these battles were phases of the Battles of the Somme.  Lieutenant Allison Gould Smith was severely wounded on the Somme in July of 1916.  He recovered from these wounds and was back at the front in May of 1917 with the 7^th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.

            In 1917 the 19^th Division took part in the Battle of Messines, where Smith distinguished himself by conspicuous skill and gallantry during an attack at Oosttaverne.[35]  He then went on to take part in the various phase of the Third Battle of Ypres, which included the Battles of Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcapelle and the first and second battles of Passchendaele.[36]

            On the 1^st of January 1918 Temporary Captain Allison Gould Smith was awarded the Military Cross (M.C.).  He went on to participate in the battles in the spring of 1918 to include St. Quentin (21 March), Bapaume (24-25 March), Messines (10-11 April), Bailleul (13-15 April) and the First Battle of Kemmel Ridge (17-19 April).  On the 18^th of April the enemy had opened the second stage of their great offensive and Captain Smith’s company, which was in position at Givenchy, was overrun by the German attacking force and isolated.  

It was during this last battle that he was severely wounded and died of those wounds.  His death is commemorated at the cemetery at Loos.  He was 27 years old at the time of his death.  His brother, George was an Acting Captain serving as the Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Services for the British XII Corps in Salonika at the time of Allison’s death.  Allison was not married, so his death would have been reported to his parents.  George probably received notification of his younger brother’s death from his parents.

            Apparently Allison’s body was not recovered immediately.  The following notice was published in the Lincolnshire Echo, dated the 1^st of May 1918:[37]

LOCAL OFFICER MISSING – We regret to leanr that Captain A. G. Smith (Lancashire Fusiliers), second son of Mr. George Smith, solicitor, Horbling is reported “missing.”  It is known that he was engaged in recent severe fighting and that he and a small detachment of men were cut off from the main body, two only remaining. Further news of this valiant young officer is anxiously awaited.

            There is an error regarding his regiment in this notice, as Smith was not serving in the Lancashire Fusiliers at the time of this death.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC) clearly indicates that he was serving in the 7^th Battalion of The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.  The CWGC commemoration reads as follows”

“In memory of Captain Allison Gould Smith, MC, 7th Bn., The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment who died on 18 April 1918 Age 27.  Son of George and Helen Phyllis Smith, of Horbling, Billingborough, Lincs. Educated at Winchester College and Magdalene College, Cambridge.  Remembered with honour, Loos Memorial.”

Figure 24.  The Badge of The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

            Allison Gould Smith’s will was probated at London on the 6^th of September 1919.  His effects were left to his father, George Smith, in the amount of £1,120 14s (about US $67,814 in 2019 US Dollars).

ADDENDUM NO. 2

A Resumé of the Service of George Henry Gould Smith, M.B.E., R.E.

NAME:  George Henry Gould Smith

NUMBER:  N/A

RANK:  Major

CORPS:  Royal Engineers

PLACE OF BIRTH:  Horbling, Folkingham, Lincolnshire.
DATE OF BIRTH:  22 February 1889

EDUCATION:  Winchester College and Magdalene College, Oxford.  Bachelor of Arts.

CIVIL OCCUPATION:  Civil Service.
SERVICE IN THE RANKS:  None.

COMMISSIONING DATE:  15 March 1917 (with date of rank of 9 March 1917).

COMMISSIONED AT:  London.

UNITS:  Royal Engineers Postal Service.

HOME STATIONS:  None.  On leave in preparation for movement abroad and later for demobilization.

STATIONS ABROAD:  Salonika, Greece; Kavala, Greece; Dedeagatch, Greece; Batoum, Russia.

CAMPAIGNS:  The Macedonian Front at Salonika and with the British Army in Batoum, Russia during the White Russian/Red Russian conflict.

SERVICE WITH OTHER REGIMENTS:  None.

MEDALS:  Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division), British War Medal and Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches.

MILITARY DUTIES:   Army Base Post Office, Salonika.  British 12^th Army Corps as Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Services.  Postal Officer, Army Post Office 5X23, Kavalla.  Postal Officer, Army Post Office APO 5X9, Dedeagatch.  Deputy Assistant Director of Postal Services  at Headquarters, Batoum Base.

DATE DISCHARGED OR RELINQUISHED COMMISSION:  16 September 1919

PERIODS OF SERVICE OVERSEAS:  2 years, 2 months, 20 days.

                                                HOME: 3 months, 18 days.

                                                TOTAL:  2 years, 6 months, 8 days.

CIVIL APPOINTMENTS:  Assistant Surveyor (2^nd Class), General Post Office.  Second Class Clerk in the Post Office Secretary’s Office.  Private Secretary to the Postmaster General.   Chief Inspector of Postal Traffic.  Assistant Secretary to the Director of Postal Services.

RESIDENCES:  28 Dorset Road, Bexhill, East Sussex; Connaught Club, 75 Seymour Street, Marble Arch, London; Horbling, Folkingham, Lincolnshire; 59 Ashworth Mansions, Grantully Road, London.  8 Avenue Mansions, London.  Suite 50, Princes Hotel, Folkestone, Kent.

REFERENCES  

Books  

1.      HAYWARD, J.B.  Army Honours and Awards.  J.B. Hayward & Son, London, reprint of the 1920 edition, p. 219.

2.      CRAIG, E.S. (ed.).  Oxford University Roll of Service.  Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1920, p. 283.

3.      MAGDALEN COLLEGE.  The Magdalen College Record.  Sixth edition.  Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1967, p. 199.  

Census Data  

1.      1891 Census of England.

2.      1901 Census of England.

3.      1911 Census of England and Wales.  

Internet Web Sites  

1.      Historical Currency Conversion web site: https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm

2.      The Long, Long Trail: 19^th (Western) Division.  https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/19th-western-division/

3.      National Army Museum.  Salonika Campaign.  https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/salonika-campaign

4.      The Salonika Campaign – A Postal History 1915-1918, Part I by Chris Grimshaw.  www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/society/the-salonika-campaign-regis.pdf

5.      Wikipedia.  British Salonika Army.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Salonika_Army

6.      Wikipedia.  George Milne, 1^st Baron Mile.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Milne,_1st_Baron_Milne

7.      Wikipedia.  Honour Moderations web site.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honour_Moderations

8.      Wikipedia.  Literae Humaniores web site.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literae_humaniores

9.      Wikipedia.  Macedonian Front.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_Front

1    Midlands Miscellany.  The Family of Henry Smith, JP, DL of Horbling (1820-1891). https://jamesbroun.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/the-family-of-henry-smith-jp-dl-of-horbling-1820-1891/

1    Period Paper web site: https://www.periodpaper.com/

1    South Lincolnshire War Memorials. https://www.southlincolnshirewarmemorials.org.uk/our-villages/horbling/allison-gould-smith/

1    Wikipedia.  The Battle of Messines (1917): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Messines_(1917)

1    Wikipedia. Horbling and Folkingham.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folkingham

1    Winchester College web site: http://www.winchestercollegeatwar.com/archive/allison-gould-smith/

      WorthPoint web site.  https://www.worthpoint.com  

London and Edinburgh Gazette  

1.      The London Gazette, 1 November 1912, p. 8034.

2.      The London Gazette, 3 January 1913, p. 51.

3.      The Edinburgh Gazette, 7 January 1913, p. 26.

4.      The London Gazette, 11 September 1914, pp. 7223 and 7224.

5.      The London Gazette, 13 March 1917, p. 2526

6.      The London Gazette, 1 January 1918, pp. 30 and 46.  

Military Organizations  

Imperial War Museum.  

Passenger Lists  

Passenger List, S.S. Chusan, 20 March 1954.

Registers  

1.      Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

2.      London Electoral Registers, 1922-1939.

3.      England and Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administration), 1858-1995, Year 1919, p. 326.

4.      England and Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administration), 1858-1995, Year 1965, p. 475.

5.      England and Wales National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administration), 1858-1995, Year 1971, p. 325.

Service Papers  

1.      Minute Sheet dated 6 March 1917, A.G. 7 to M.S. 1.

2.      Minute Sheet dated 16 September 1919, M.S. 4.

3.      Final Letter of Demobilization, 7 November 1919.

4.      Letter from the War Office to the Director of Army Postal Service (Home) dated 20 March 1917, re: 2^nd Lieutenant G.H.G. Smith.

5.      Protection Certificate (Officer) (Army Form Z. 3.)

6.      Letter from the Postmaster General to the Director, Army Postal Service (Home) dated 1 March 1917, re: Commission of G.H.G. Smith.

7.      Casualty Form – Active Service.

8.      Application for Appointment to a Temporary Commission in the Regular Army for the Period of the War, Form M.T. 393, including medical examination, 27 February 1917.

9.      Medal Index Card (G.H.G. Smith).

1    Medal Index Card (A.G. Smith).  

ENDNOTES