Pte 17954 Harry Teuton Smith

• Age: 21
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 31st July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: V.D.6

Harry Teuton Smith was born 26th November 1894 and was baptised 07th March 1895 at St Peter's Church, Liverpool. He was the son of Harry William Cartwright Smith & his wife Hannah of Croft Edge, Storeton Road, Oxton. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 12, Fairfield Street, Liverpool. His father, Harry William Cartwright Smith, is aged 40, born in Ironbridge, Shropshire in 1861 is Post Office telegraph clerk, his mother, Hannah, is aged 30, born 1871 in Ireland and has no occupation listed. They have one son Harry Teuton, aged 6, born 1895 in Liverpool. 

The 1911 Census shows the family living at Croft Edge, Oxton, Birkenhead. His father Harry William Cartwright Smith is shown to be aged 51, he is a telegraph overseer and his mother Hannah is aged 40, and has no occupation listed. They have one been married for twenty four years and have had three children of which one had died. At the taking of the Census, they have two children Harry Teuton aged 16 and Adelaide aged 9, born 1902. 

Harry enlisted at St George's Hall, Liverpool on 03rd September 1914 as Private 17954 joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. He gave his age as 19 years and 9 months. He was described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 119lbs, with a 34 inch chest. He had a fresh complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair. He stated his religion as Church of England. 

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

On 25th March 1915, at Knowsley, Harry was charged with laziness on duty, for failing to report at company orderly room. He was sentenced to 5 days confined to barracks.     

He was serving in No 3 Company, 19th Battalion, when he was killed in action most likely on 30th July 1916, aged 21. Both CWGC and SDGW have his date of death as killed in action on 31st July 1916. His service papers show a statement of services record and a memorandum, barely legible but dated 12/09/1916 saying that Harry has been missing since 30th July 1916. Given that this was the date of the assault at Guillemont, I think it is safe to assume that Harry was Missing then presumed killed on 30th July rather than the following day. Although his papers show killed inaction 31st July 1916. As such I will leave the date of death as 31st July 1916 to tie in with the Military paperwork but will add the details of the action of 30th July 1916 for the 19th Battalion.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.  

Harry was buried close to where he fell and after the war, when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Guillemont Road Cemetery where he now rests. 

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker. 

He is buried alongside so many of his Pals who fell at Guillemont on 30th July 1916. His headstone inscription shows the pride that his family had in him being an original Pal and a volunteer It states:

"A SEPTEMBER 1914 VOLUNTEER CUT DOWN IN THE FLOWER OF LIFE"

A Family notice was placed in the local press on 04th September 1916

MISSING

Private Harry T. Smith, King's Liverpool Regiment, officially reported wounded on July 1, missing from July 30, his parents reside at "Croft Edge," Storeton Road, Birkenhead. 

He was finally reported as killed in action in the local press on 26th April 1917.

Harry earned his three medals. 

Soldiers effects to his father Harry William Cartwright. His personal proeprty was just one identity disc.

We currently have no further information on Harry Teuton Smith, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.