Died: 25 March 1918
Age: 20
Henry Thomas Bayard Smith, born 9th September 1897, was the son of Major WH Smith, Army Ordnance Department, of Victoria Crescent, Jersey. He entered in 1913 and remained for two years. In 1915, he passed second for Assistant Clerkships in the Royal Navy, and was for a time on HMS Shannon. Not feeling however that he was taking his full share in the war, he decided to transfer to the Army, and in 1916 entered Sandhurst. Here he developed talent as a boxer, reaching the Final in the Heavy Weights.
On passing out he was gazetted in May 1917 to the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, with whom he was in action at the Battle of Cambrai. Later he was attached to the 9th Battalion, the Tank Corps. In the big German attack of March 1918 his battalion formed part of a mixed force that was holding the line north of Albert, and on 25th March he was in command of a group of machine guns. His post was in a dangerous position. The enemy snipers were crawling forward in increasing numbers, and by one of these he was shot through the head.
His Company Commander wrote afterwards of the invaluable effect which his courage and cheeriness had produced upon the men, just at the time when such influence was most needed – that critical period when the overwhelming wave of the German advance was driving us back towards Amiens.
The above text appeared in the Victoria College Book of Remembrance which was published in 1920.
The link to the Channel Islands Great War Study Group website is:
http://www.greatwarci.net/honour/jersey/database/smith-htb-pozieres.htm
