Saturday, June 30, 2012

Private Harold Horatio Smith 241292

A search in the CWGC database showed over a thousand results! Of these, 11 were for H. H. Smiths and 8 were Harold H Smiths.
Not all of these entries showed where they were from so I tried a different approach and looked in the index of births for Liverpool for the period 1875-1900. I found only one matching entry, Harold Horatio Smith, born in Toxteth Park in 1896. There wasn't an entry in the CWGC for Harold Horatio so I looked in the entries in UK Soldiers Died in the Great War and found only one, Harold Horatio Smith. Using his regimental number from the medal card I located his entry in the CWGC database where he was one of the H.H. Smiths.

Given the lack of another H.H. Smith born in Liverpool and the fact that this Harold H Smith was a casualty of the Great War and his CWGC entry shows that he lived in the right area of Liverpool, I am happy that this is the right man.

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Harold Horatio Smith was born on the 2nd February 1896 in Liverpool. The record of his baptism (below) shows that he was baptised on 7th April 1896 in St Peter's, Liverpool. His parents were Caroline and Richard Herd Smith (a bricklayer) who lived on Park Road.  Harold's middle name was given for his grandfather, Horatio Smith who was from Jersey. (information from the 1891 census)

source: ancestry.co.uk

The 1901 census (below) shows the Smith family living at 155 Park Road, Toxteth Park.
source: ancestry.co.uk

In the 1911 census (below) the family were living at 34 High Park Street. Harold H Smith was 15 years old and working as a telegraph messenger for the post office. His father was at this time an employer as a bricklayer, plasterer and builder.
On a sad note, the census shows that Harold's parents had already lost 4 of their 12 children.
source: ancestry.co.uk

The medal card for Harold H Smith (below) shows that he was a private in the Liverpool Regiment with the regimental number 241292. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.  The card has not been completed for the theatre of war he first served in or the date, nor does it have any notes about his death.
source: ancestry.co.uk

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919


Name: Harold Horatio Smith
Birth Place: Liverpool
Residence: Liverpool
Death Date: 5 Nov 1918
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Liverpool
Rank: Private
Regiment: King's (Liverpool Regiment)
Battalion: 6th Battalion
Number: 241292
Type of Casualty: Died
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

Click here to see the CWGC entry for Harold H Smith

This information shows that Harold was in the 6th Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment and died on 5th November 1918.

KLR Database
The following images are from the Devereux Database, Museum of Liverpool.

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