Private 824 Benjamin Smith

Same grave, different visits.

Killed in Action on Friday, 23rd June 1916, age unknown.
Buried in Grave I. F. 4. at Foncquevillers Military Cemetery, Pas De Calais, France.

1st/5th Bn., South Staffordshire Regiment. 137th Brigade of 46th Division.

Husband of Mrs Smith, of 15, Earps Lane, Wednesbury, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Wednesbury, Resident: West Bromwich.

First landed France & Flanders, 10th December 1915.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/197070/

Genealogical Data

1891 Census
287 Dudley Port, Tipton, Staffs.
Benjamin Smith (31, Coal Miner, born Coseley), his wife Hannah Dawes (31, born Coseley), and their 4 children: Henry Thomas (9, Scholar, born Tipton), Sarah (7, Scholar, born Tipton), Elizabeth (3, born Tipton), and Benjamin (1, born Tipton).

1901 Census
65 Gilbert Street, Tividale, Tipton, Staffs.
Benjamin Smith (42, Coal Miner - Hewer, born Tipton), his wife Hannah (41, born Coseley), and their 8 children: Henry T. (19, Coal Miner - Loader, born Coseley), Sarah J. (17, Brickworks Labourer, born Tipton), Elizabeth (13, born Coseley), Benjamin (11, born Tipton), Samuel H. (8, born Tipton), Hannah (7, born Tipton), Christopher (5, born Tipton), and Leonard (2, born Rowley Regis).

Marriage of Benjamin Smith and Milly M. Parker registered December quarter 1901 in Dudley.

1911 Census
Gilbert Street, Tividale, Tipton, Staffs.
Benjamin Smith (21, Coal Miner - Loader, born Tipton), and his wife Milly Mary (19, born Tipton).

Personal Data

None Available.

Action resulting in his death

The 1/5th South Staffs were in the Gommecourt area in preparation for their action on 1st July. Theirs was a diversionary attack at the northern end of the Somme battlefield to prevent German attention being transferred towards Serre. In the week before the attack preparations were being made obvious so that the Germans were quite aware an attack was to be made here.

War Diaries for 23rd June 1916.
Enemy guns registered on every part of our sector and swept the parapets with machine-gun fire.

4 men from the 1/5th South Staffs were killed on 23rd June including Pte Benjamin Smith who is buried in Foncquevillers Military Cemetery. This is near to Gommecourt where so many of his comrades from the 1/5th and 1/6th South Staffs were to perish just a week later on 1st July.

Newspaper Cuttings

None.