William Thomas Smith was the fourth child of James and Ada and he was born on 19th April 1888 whilst the family were living at 39 Cotterells. James and Ada had a large family and William had six siblings; Horace James, Margaret Elizabeth and Montague, all older and Ethel, Arthur Frederick and Ernest Alfred, all younger. His father was a Builder at the time of William’s birth and both William and his older brother Horace eventually worked for their father. James Smith however, seems to have fallen ill or perhaps suffered a work-related accident around 1899. The census returns in both 1901 and 1911 record that he suffers from “Paralysis” and he was to die in 1917 at the age of fifty-six.

Two of William’s brothers, Horace James and Arthur Frederick also saw service in the Great War with the Middlesex Regiment and Herts Yeomanry respectively. Both survived the conflict.

William started at Boxmoor JMI school on 23rd November 1896 having attended Bury Mill End School previously. He successfully completed five of the six school standards before leaving to work as a Carpenter’s Labourer on 12th April 1901, a week before his thirteenth birthday. By this time the Smith family were living at "Zana Cottages" on Cemetery Road (now Cemetery Hill), a house still standing today.

By 1908 William had been working as a Carpenter’s Labourer and then an Engineer’s Labourer for seven years, until he made the decision to enlist in the regular army. He attested at Hemel Hempstead on 19th September 1908 joining 1st Battalion The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment). 

His Army Service Records survive almost intact and give very concise details about William.

He was twenty years and five months old when he joined the Colours and was working as an Engineer’s Labourer. He was 5 feet 6½ inches tall, weighed 120lbs (8st 8lbs), well-developed, of fresh complexion with brown eyes and light brown hair. In the absence of a photograph of William we at can perhaps visualise him from the details provided.

William served with ‘D’ Company Royal Scots and within three years of enlistment on 31st October 1911, he was promoted Lance Corporal whilst serving with the Regiment in India. In 1913 he passed as a Corporal and was awaiting his promotion when he was charged with misconduct at Allahabad and the promotion was cancelled. Worse still, William was demoted to Private with a loss of pay for what perhaps today seems a relatively minor infraction, “Disobeying Bttn. Standing Orders – Playing cards with Private soldiers in bungalow”.

Discipline was an important factor in holding armies together at this time, one and harsh punishment for even minor infractions was commonplace. Loss of pay and privileges, extra duties and demotion were typical punishments and the more severe “Field Punishment No.1” was not uncommon. This consisted of the convicted man being placed in fetters and handcuffs or similar restraints and attached to a fixed object, such as a gun wheel or a fence post, for up to two hours per day, sometimes for as many ninety days.

William’s overall conduct and character as a soldier were rated ‘Good’ however, and he was eventually reappointed Lance Corporal on the 15th Feb 1915, just two months before his death.

He also suffered some serious illness during his army service. In January 1911 he was hospitalised for sixty-two days with Paratyphoid (caused by Salmonella bacteria) and again in October 1911 at Benares for thirty-nine days, when he contracted Cholera following an outbreak.

When war broke out, the Battalion was still in India but sailed for England arriving in October. It then assembled as part of the 81st Infantry Brigade in the 27th Division and on the 19th December 1914 embarked for Le Havre in France. On disembarkation on the 21st December, William signed his will bequeathing everything to his mother Ada: “In the event of my sudden departure I give the whole of my property and effects to my mother, residing at No,4 Cemetery Hill, Hemel, Hempstead, Herts, England, Sd, W.T Smith, 10366. R.Scots Havre, France Dec 21/1914.’”

By the 10th January 1915, William was with his Battalion in the trenches at Dickebusch, Belgium where it remained until moving to Sanctuary Wood east of Ypres on the 12th April. Moving up the line and into trenches astride the Menin Road, about four miles east of Ypres, the Battalion relieved the 2nd Cameron Highlanders on 16th April and remained on this tour of duty until 4th May 1915.

The Battalion War Diaries record: "This tour of duty was not only a long but a particularly trying one, to all ranks. The Battalion suffered heavily, losing three officers and 29 other ranks killed, and 3 officers and 190 other ranks wounded." Many of these casualties were caused by the short-range mortars (Minnenwefer) employed by the Germans and "many men suffered severely from shock".

William was killed during this phase of fighting on Wednesday, 28th April 1915. His mother received official notification later in the year on the 12th August.

William is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 11.

He was 27 years old when he was killed.

William was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.