Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Merville Communal Cemetery Extension | I. F. 57. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.135 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 60B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
John Albert Gordon Smyth was born in Blaby (Leicestershire) on 13th April 1886, the son of the Rev. Henry Armstrong and Clara Smyth. Henry, born in Sierra Leone, led the life of an itinerant clerical Minister before settling at 16, Clarendon Rd., Lewisham, South East London. He was the grandson of John F. Smyth of Antigua. He was of mixed ethnicity, notable for an officer in the British Army of the time.John worked in a bank as a cashier when war broke out. He was unmarried.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 5th Bn. Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) |
| Action : The First Battles of the Somme 1918 and associated actions |
21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.
On 19th December 1915 he signed up to serve for the duration of the war at St Paul’s Churchyard. He was a volunteer as conscription for single men was not introduced until the following month.
Unusually he completed two attestation forms that day, one is marked ‘duplicate’ (although they aren’t quite identical). One of the forms shows his complexion as ‘salla’ (?) the other shows ‘sallow’. On both forms his eyes and hair are described as ‘dark brown’. This detail lends further support to the belief that he was of mixed heritage.
On 3rd April 1916 Smyth joined the Royal Fusiliers. He was sick with Rubella (German Measles) from 8th to 18th May but when he recovered, on 26th June, he applied to become an officer. However his initial application for a permanent commission didn’t fare well. His good moral character was confirmed in a letter from the Vicar of Deptford based on having known him for seven years, but this seems to have cut little ice, scrawled across his application are the words ‘horrible bounder – reject’.
On 8th January 1917 he was discharged from the Royal Fusiliers ‘having been granted a commission in the Royal Lancaster Regiment’.
Detail :
His final tour of duty started on 4th May 1918 when he arrived in France from England. He was initially reported ‘missing’ on 29th June 1918 and on 6th July he was confirmed as killed in action.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Aetos No. 3702 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
1st May 1918 | - | - |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley