Private Harold Horatio Smith 241292 King's Liverpool Regiment

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.

Harold Horatio Smith was born on the 2nd February 1896 in Liverpool. The record of his baptism 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)

The 1901 census shows the Smith family living at 155 Park Road, Toxteth Park. Head of the household was Richard A Smith, aged 44, born in Liverpool and working as a brick setter and an employer. Also enumerated were his wife Caroline aged 43, son Henry aged 21 and also a brick setter, John aged 19 Steward on a steam ship, Eliza aged 17, Richard A aged 15 apprentice gate maker, Seymour aged 11 a scholar, Kate A aged 10 a scholar, Mary A E aged 7 scholar, Harold H aged 5 scholar.

In the 1911 census the family were living at 34 High Park Street. Head of the household Richard was aged 54 and was at this time an employer as a bricklayer, plasterer and builder. His wife Caroline was aged 52, they had been married for 34 years and had 8 living children from 12 born. At home with them were Mary Elizabeth aged 16, Harold H Smith who was 15 years old and working as a telegraph messenger for the post office, Allen McDonald aged 8 (a visitor) and Marion Smith, aged 6 and a granddaughter of Richard and Caroline.

Military Experience

Harold's service records have not survived and we know very little about the details of his service other than that he was killed in action on 5th November 1918, just 6 days before the armistice.

The medal card for Harold H Smith 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.

This medal roll shows that Harold was in the 2/6th Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment. He was eligible for the British War Medal and Victory Medal only which tells us he went overseas after 1st Jan 1916.