Private William Frank Smith

William Frank Smith, a hosiery hand, was the seventh of eight children of Frederick, a framework knitter, and Caroline Smith of Smeeton Westerby.

He was baptised on 11th December 1887 at Smeeton and married Florence M Mawby at St Wilfrid’s Church on 27th May 1912. Frank and Florence had one daughter, Florence Nellie, born on 30th July 1915.

Private Smith served with the 2nd/4th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment, service number 202818, formerly 7418.

He was killed on 26th September 1917. Private Smith was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal, and is buried at Bridge House Cemetery, Langemark-Poelkapelle, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, plot reference B.11.

His widow remarried on 9th October 1920.

Obituary from the Market Harborough Advertiser, 20th November 1917

The deepest sympathy will be felt with Mrs. W. F. Smith, who now resides with her mother – Mrs. Mawby, in White Street, Kibworth – in the great loss she has sustained by the death of her husband, Pte. Wm. Frank Smith, Leicestershire Regiment, who was killed in action on September 26. A little over a month ago deceased cousin, Pte. Walter Smith, wrote home to say deceased had been killed.