Pte 15568 George Smith

• Age: 27
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 22nd February 1917
• Commemorated at: Agny New Military Cem
  Panel Ref: F.12

George was born in Liverpool on the 11th March 1889 the son of James Smith and his wife Agnes (nee Cain) who had married in 1868. James was born in Liverpool whilst Agnes was born in Manchester. George was baptised on 31st March 1889. His siblings were; Sarah,  Edward,  Mary Jane, Margaret,  Deborah,  James, Martha and William.

The 1891 Census shows the family living at 15 Carruthers Street and George's father is employed as a Labourer.

By 1901 the family are living at 115 Molyneux Road, Kensington. It appears that both parents had died between the two Censuses.

George was educated at the Collegiate school in Everton.

In 1911 George and his sister Deborah are living at 118 Holt Road, Liverpool with their sister Mary Jane, her husband Edward McCann and their two children. George is now 22 years of age, single and working as a stock clerk in the Provisions trade. 

George enlisted in Liverpool joining the 17th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 15568.

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. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

The details surrounding George's death are dealt with in detail in Gtaham Maddocks' book The Liverpool Pals.

George having survived the Somme Battles of 1916 was sadly killed when he was accidentally shot by one of his own Pals, Private 49005  W Houghton on 22nd February 1917 aged 27. Private Houghton was immediately put under arrest and subjected to a Court Martial on 02nd March 1917 charged with "Neglect to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he had negligently discharged his rifle, thereby mortally wounding a comrade". He was found guilty and sentenced to 112 days imprisonment. This was later commuted to 90 days Field Punishment No.1. 

George now rests at Agny New Military Cemetery, France.

Agny Military Cemetery was begun by French troops, and used by Commonwealth units and field ambulances from March 1916 to June 1917. Two further burials were made in April 1918, and in 1923-24, 137 graves were brought in from the battlefields east of Arras. The 40 French graves have been removed. Agny Military Cemetery contains 408 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 118 of them unidentified, and five German graves. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. 

SDGW shows his death as killed in action but his family at home must have been aware of the circumstances of his death as notices in the press show and his sister Mary McCann placed an inscription on the family headstone at Toxteth Park Cemetery which states

" Accidentally killed in the trenches". 

George's death is reported in the Liverpool Echo on 7th, 8th and 9th March 1917. The same notice is on all dates:

KILLED IN ACTION - Feb 22 accidentally killed in the trenches, France. Private George Smith, KLR, son of the late James and Agnes Smith of this city. Duty nobly done. Mrs Edward McCann – 1 Liscard Road, Wavertree.

George is commemorated on the Memorial at the Collegiate School in Everton.

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