SMITH, Frederick

Frederick Smith came from Blackheath and was probably a pre-war regular soldier. He served in the 2nd Battalion and might well have been recalled from the Reserve to the British Expeditionary force at Aldershot. They arrived in France on the 12th August and moved to Mons in Belgium. They were greatly outnumbered and forced into the retreat from Mons to the Marne in ten days. The line stabilised on the Aisne in September and the Staffords moved to Artois to halt further German attacks. In March 1915 a major British attack in Artois was planned and the Staffords were responsible for the line at Givenchy. They attacked at 7.30 on the 10th March but failed to reach the German trenches. Private Frederick Smith was one of those killed in action on this day and is commemorated on the Le Touret, Blackheath and Halesowen Memorials.