Name
Albert Thomas Smith
1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/10/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
96578
Tank Corps
1st Gun Carrier Coy.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE
IV. E. 21.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, St Paul's Church Memorial Scroll, Hemel Hempstead, Not on the Berkhamsted memorials
Pre War
Albert Thomas Smith was born in Berkhamsted in 1899, the son of Charles and Sarah Smith and one of 18 children, five of whom died in early childhood and another in 1904 aged 14. He was baptised on 23 April 1899 at St Peter's Church, Great Berkhamsted. On the 1901 Census the family were living at 16 & 17 Red Lion Yard, Great Berkhamsted, where his father was working as a General Labourer.
By 1911 the family had moved to 23 Sunninghill Road, Hammerfield, Hemel Hempstead. His father and older brother Herbert were both listed as 'cripple' with four other siblings working in the [paper] mill or at the brush works. Albert was a 12 year old schoolboy.
His parents lived at 1 Harvey Place, Hemel Hempstead on pension records, although no pension amount is given.
Wartime Service
Albert enlisted in Watford in March 1917 and joined the Royal Tank Corps at the age of eighteen, being sent to Bovingdon, Dorset for basic training. He was sent to France in March 1918 and posted to the 1st Gun Carrier Company. The Gun Carrier Companies task was supply the Tank Battalions with petrol, grease, oil, machine guns and parts and maintaining the tanks, which would also include salvaging damaged and abandoned tanks, often near the front lines. On 27 June 1918, Albert was injured whist engaged in this work, and was admitted to hospital, returning to duty on 19 July.
He was severely gassed by German shells shortly before he died of wounds (gas poisoning) on 4 October 1918, aged 19. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £6 and pay owing of £2 0s 3d. Brother to Joseph Smith who served with the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and died on 25 July 1915 and who is remembered on the Berkhamsted Memorial.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com
