SMITH, Albert Henry

Albert Smith was born in Halesowen but was living in Bargoed, south Wales, in 1914. He enlisted in the Welsh Regiment and was sent to the 1/5th Territorial Battalion. They were sent to Gallipoli and landed in August 1915 at Suvla Bay. They suffered heavily and were sent to Egypt in December 1915 and then to Greece for the Salonika campaign. While in transit to Salonika the transport ship, Transylvania, was torpedoed near Genoa by a German submarine on the 4th May 1917 and over 400 lives were lost. Most of the bodies were taken to Savona, the nearest harbour. They included Private Albert Smith who is commemorated on the Savona and Halesowen Memorials.