Year of birth: 1892

Place of birth: Bradford, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Profession: Warehouseman

Country: England, United Kingdom

Force: British Expeditionary Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 42126

Enlistment date: 20/04/1917

Enlistment place: Halifax, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Units:  —  York & Lancaster Regiment, 1/5th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 24/03/1918

Place of death: Reutel, Beselare, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 26

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Private Harry Smith served in the York & Lancaster Regiment 1st/5th Battalion, part of the 148th Brigade, of the 49th (West Riding) Division. The Division had participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres (31 July – 10 November 1917) and was brought back to the Flanders Front in February 1918.
On 18 March 1918 the Battalion relieved the Duke of Wellington 1st/4th Battalion in the frontline at the Reutel subsector, East of Polygon Wood. The sector remained fairly quiet till the 25th of March. Most of the work done by the Battalion was on improving their trenches and positions.
Private Harry Smith was killed in action on the 24th of March 1918. He possibly fell near, or at the front lines at Reutel which was held by his Battalion. He was buried in Polygon Wood Cemetery.

1/5 Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2805/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480070

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=3092370c-0572-47a6-9b97-9319a5f5649b

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4106400