2nd Lieutenant John Smethurst

John was born at Bryn on the outskirts of Ashton in Makerfield on 17th September 1891 the son of John Smethurst and his wife Janet Murray (nee Graham). John was baptised on 03rd December 1891 in Holy Trinity Church, Ashton in Makerfield, his parents’ residence given as Landgate House, and his father’s occupation as colliery proprietor.  His father was born in Wigan, and his mother in Scotland. They married in Birkenhead in 1880, and had six children.  His eldest sister Martha was born in Standish, after which the family moved to Bryn (also written Brynn), where Muriel, Janet Elsie, Kathleen, John, and his younger brother Graham were born. His father’s occupation on the other children’s baptism records was listed as civil or mining engineer, and their residence as Landgate.

 

The 1891 census, months before John’s birth, finds his parents, both 42, at 9 Landgate, Brynn, which is listed as a private house and farm, with Muriel, 7, and Kathleen, 3, and three domestic servants.  Martha, 10, is living in Birkenhead with her grandparents John and Ann Graham. (Janet) Elsie, 5, is also in Birkenhead, with uncle and aunt John and Annie White.

 

His father died in 1900 aged 51, leaving effects of £44,000 to a relative, Robert Holt Edmondson. 

 

In 1901 his widowed mother, 52, is living on her own means. Kathleen is 13, John is 9, and Graham 7. They have a domestic servant.  Martha, 20, is living with uncle and aunt Charles and Martha Edmondson in Woodford, Cheshire.

 

They are at the same address in 1911 (the house is called “Brooklands”), with two domestic servants.  His mother is 63; Muriel, 27, and Kathleen, 23, have no occupation.   John is 19, a cotton broker’s apprentice, and Graham is 17, no occupation listed.   

 

John was educated at Borkenhead School and at Rugby School. Upon leaving his education he served his apprenticeship with Messrs Smith and Edward's Cotton Brokers. 

A keen sportsman, John was a member, and Secretary of Oxton Cricket club and was also a member of Wallasey Golf club. 

John enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool joining the Cotton contingent of the 17th Battalion as Private 15273.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham.

He was subsequently promoted to Colour Sergeant before he earned was discharged to commission on 02nd August 1915, posted to the 12th K.L.R. and arrived in France on the 05th June 1916. The 12th Bn K.L.R. was part of the 61st Brigade, 20th Division.  

The 12th Bn War Diary records on 18th June 1916 that 2/Lt. J. Smethurst joined for duty at Camp ‘A’, near Potijze, in the Ypres Salient.

 

July records casualties from shelling, until entraining on the 6th for Poperinghe, then arriving at Ypres on the 10th, then to Camp ‘M’ on 17th.  On 19th embussed for Buford Camp near Neuve Eglise and moved to trenches opposite Messines at night on the 20th.  On the 21st the enemy strafed with minenwerfers, trench mortars, etc.  At about midnight on the 22nd the Battn was relieved and marched to Bailleul and took over billets. The next day the battalion moved off through Hondighem, Bavinchove, entrained for Doullens and marched to Halloy, to Bus-Les-Artois, marched through Bertrancourt, Mailly-Maillet to bivouacs near Colincamps. On the 28th they moved into front line and support trenches southwest of Serre.  Artillery activity and trench mortars caused casualties during the next few days.

 

August saw the battalion in and out of the line, near Morlancourt, Bernafay Wood, Trônes Wood, and Carnoy, with casualties killed, wounded and missing.

 

The Battalion War Diary records -

1 Sept: South of Bernafay Wood

Enemy entertained us with a bombardment of lachrymatory and gas shells which lasted from early afternoon until midnight.

2 Sept:  

Heavy bombardment of German lines from 8 a.m. and continued all day, very little retaliation. Moved back to Craters at midnight.

3 Sept:  

At 9 a.m. the Battn left the Craters and moved to assembly trenches east of Bernafay Wood.  The 47th Irish Brigade, to which the Battn was attached, attacked Guillemont at 12 noon.  Battn moved forward through Trônes Wood at 12:25 p.m. to Cornish Alley.  Two Coys sent up at 4 p.m. to reinforce Leinsters.

4 Sept:

Very heavily shelled. Bombers fared badly on the left. 

5 Sept:

Relief complete by 5:30 a.m.

Total casualties 3rd-5th September:  187 all ranks

John was killed in action on 16th September 1916 aged 24, the day before his 25th birthday. 

He now rests at Guards Cemetery, Lesbouefs.

Lesboeufs was attacked by the Guards Division on 15 September 1916 and captured by them on the 25th. It was lost on 24 March 1918 during the great German offensive, after a stubborn resistance by part of the 63rd Bn. Machine Gun Corps, and recaptured on 29 August by the 10th Bn. South Wales Borderers. 

At the time of the Armistice, the cemetery consisted of only 40 graves (now Plot I), mainly those of officers and men of the 2nd Grenadier Guards who died on 25 September 1916, but it was very greatly increased when graves were brought in from the battlefields and small cemeteries round Lesboeufs. 

There are now 3,137 casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,644 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 83 soldiers known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of five casualties buried in Ginchy A.D.S. Cemetery, whose graves were destroyed by shell fire, and three officers of the 2nd Bn. Coldstream Guards, killed in action on 26 September 1916 and known to have been buried together by the roadside near Lesboefs, whose grave could not later be located. 

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

 

 

 

 

The CWGC records his parents address as Skylemore Road, Oxton.

 

His death was reported in Liverpool, Birkenhead, and Wigan newspapers, including the Birkenhead News on 27th September:  

 

 

 

John left £13,747.00 in his will with £500.00 donated to the Rugby School Home Mission.

On the first anniversary of his death his mother placed an In Memoriam notice, “In proud and loving memory”.

 

No pension card has been found.  His mother’s address on his medal card is 3 Bidston Road, Oxton, Birkenhead.  

 

Probate, giving John’s address as 13 Caroline Place, Birkenhead, was granted to Basil Stratton, the husband of sister Kathleen, in the amount of £13,747-11s-2d.

 

His mother died in 1935 in Birkenhead, aged 86.

 

His sister Janet Elsie had a son in 1918 she named John Smethurst Curl.  He served in the R.A.F. in World War Two as Pilot Officer 87051.  He and two other crew were missing believed killed in an accident on 30th June 1941.  He was 23.  John S. Curl is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

 

John is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Oxton Cricket Club 

Birkenhead Memorial at Hamilton Square.

Men of Christ Church, Claughton.