Frederick James
Smith was born in 1884, his birth registered at Lewes in the December quarter of that year.
He appears on
the 1891 census of England and Wales living at
Hanly Farm, Cooksbridge Road, Barcombe, with his family.
The household comprised James Smith (head, married, aged 32, working as a groom), his wife Margaret Emma Smith (nee
Diplock), also aged 32 and their five sons: Arthur Vere Smith (aged eight), Frederick (aged six), Spencer M Smith (aged four),
Henry William Smith (aged two) and Edward George Smith (aged five months). James
was from Newick, his wife from Lindfield. Arthur had been born in Newick, Frederick
in Hamsey and the other four boys in Barcombe.
Next door to them
lived William Diplock and his family. William was almost certainly directly related
to Margaret; either an older brother or her father.
By the time the
1901 census was taken, the family had grown and had also moved house to Colonels Bank, Newick.
The household now comprised: James Smith (42, by now working as an agricultural labourer), his wife Margaret Emily
[sic] Smith and their nine children: Arthur Vere Smith (aged 18, working as an agricultural labourer), Frederick (aged 16,
working as a gardener), Spencer Maryon Smith (aged 14, working as a gardener), Henry William Smith (aged 12), Edward George
Smith (aged ten), Leonard Diplock Smith (aged eight), Cissie Eva Smith (the only daughter, aged seven), Sydney Septimus Smith
(aged 5) and Cyril Frank Smith (aged two). The four younger children had all
been born in Newick.
Frederick does not get a
mention in Chailey’s parish magazine but The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Debt of Honour Register notes
that he was 32 years old and was the son of James
and Margaret Emma Smith of Yew Tree Cottage, Colonels Bank, Chailey, Lewes, Sussex.
200583 Corporal
F J Smith was killed in action at the Battle of Arras on 17th April 1917 whilst serving with the 4th Suffolk Regiment. He has no known grave and
is commemorated on bay four of the Arras memorial in France.
Just over a year
later, Frederick’s younger brother Spencer (who enlisted under the name of George Spencer Smith) was also killed in action.
Both Frederick
and George attended the village school at Newick and the photo that appears on this page is the one which Frederick sent his
old headmaster, John Oldaker.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- 1861 Census of England and Wales
- 1891 Census of England and Wales
- 1901 Census of England and Wales
- England and Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1983
- Soldiers Died in The Great War
- The Commonwealth War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour Register
- Jon Miller for the photograph of Frederick's name on the
Arras Memorial in France
- Simon Stevens for the photograph from John Oldaker's collection
