Remembering here, the son of former headmaster William Smith. If you recall, I recently told the story of how William Smith died in 1921 after falling between the platform and railway at Low Blantyre Station.
A few years earlier though, he suffered grief in knowing that his son, John Smith had died in action in WW1.
John Horne Smith, the son of William Smith and Margaret M Horne (of Cambuslang), enlisted as a private in 1909 signing up for 4 years as No. 947 on 16/03/1909. He was a Sergeant when discharged in 1916. Then enlisting again later as a Second Lieutenant. extending his service for a further 2 years, something which would prove fatal. He fought with the 6th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).
Second Lieutenant John Horne Smith died in France on 22nd July 1918. Age 27 years. He is remembered with honour at the Nine Elms British Cemetery and on the family grave stone in High Blantyre Cemetery.
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Deesha Shaw So he served as a private, and was found sufficiently responsible that he was promoted up reaching sergeant within that first tour. It’s to his credit that he signed up again. That he did so as a junior officer speaks volumes, regarding his confidence, but also because junior officers, indeed any officer in the trenches would be a prime target.
