Samuel Herbert Smith was born on 15th March 1886 in Liverpool, Lancashire. He was one of six children to parents Henry – a road labourer for the local council – and Elizabeth.
There is little concrete information about Samuel’s early life. While the 1901 census confirms he was employed as an apprentice, the writing is not legible enough to identify the trade he was in. A later record suggests he spent two years in the Royal Engineers, although, again, no supporting documents evidences this.
Samuel married a woman from South Wales. Her details are lost, but his war pension record gives the name Mrs SH Smith, and gives her address as 34 Albany Street, Newport, Monmouthshire.
It would seem that Samuel was keen to build a bigger and better life for the couple, and left Britain to find work overseas. By 1914 he was living in Valcartier, Quebec, and working as a bartender. War was declared in the summer of that year, however, and he immediately stepped up to serve his country.
Samuel enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 23rd September, and was assigned to the 13th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. His service records suggest he cut a striking figure: he stood 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall and weighed 168lbs (76.2kg). He had light brown hair, hazel eyes and a medium complexion, and his records note that he had a crossed hands tattoo on his right arm.
His unit set sail for England and, by the end of October, Private Smith was installed at Bustard Camp on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
An enquiry was led into the death of Samuel Herbert Smith… Private Smith was travelling… in a motor car, and while the car was passing over uneven ground he fell into the road and was almost instantaneously killed.
George William Hincks, a private in the Canadian Force… was driving from Salisbury… in a motor car, which was meant to carry a machine gun, and was, therefore, open at the sides. Private Smith was seated next to [him] and was inclined to be rather sleepy. He had travelled in the train from Liverpool on the previous day. hey had gone some distance on their journey when deceased said “I want to get out of this.” [Hincks] said “Sit still, Bert. We will be soon be there,” Smith smiled and said “Oh, all right.” Almost immediately the car jolted on a rough piece of road, and Smith pitched on his head in the road. The car was immediately stopped, and [Hincks] went back to him and found him lying with his knees up, on his back, with wounds in his head. He was dead. [Hincks] returned to Salisbury and reported the occurrence to superior officers. The road on which fatality happened was rough and had been badly cut up, more especially at the place where deceased fell from the car.
Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Saturday 31st October 1914
The accident occurred on 29th October, Private Smith was just 28 years of age.
Samuel Herbert Smith’s widow was unable to cover the cost of bringing her husband back to Wales for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest in Amesbury Cemetery, not car from Bustard Camp.
Death and Service 