WILLIAM THOMPSON SMOUT died 1st July 1916 - Sheffield
On Saturday 8th September 2012, I took the opportunity to visit Wardsend Cemetery in Sheffield.. The Friends of Wardsend Cemetery run occasional tours of the Cemetery and so I taged on to the tour.
Given the age and history of the Cemetery, it is rather interesting. In fact I am led to believe that it is the only cemetery in England that has a railway line running through it. At the top of the cemetery where it is dissected by the railway, there is a new metal fence and adjacent to the fence is the grave of members of the SMOUT family
The inscription
Also of PTE. WILLIAM SMOUT, Y & L, son of the above,
killed in action in France July 1st 1916, aged 30 years.
It certainly caught my attention - The First Day of the Somme - and so when I went home I checked the details on the Commonwealth War Grave Commission database
SMOUT, WILLIAM THOMPSON
Rank:Private
Service No: 12/1854
Date of Death: 01/07/1916
Age: 30
Regiment/Service: York and Lancaster Regiment 8th Bn.
Panel Reference Pier and Face 14 A and 14 B. Memorial THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Son of Martha Hannah Smout, of 104, Farfield Rd.,
Neepsend, Sheffield, and the late Edward Thompson Smout.
William's service number 12/1854 with the 12 shows he was originally with the 12th Sheffield City Battalion but was serving with the 8th Bn when he was killed. Like many others that day William has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
I traced the family in the 1911 Census. William was living at home with his parents EDWARD and MARTHA at 11 Yeomans Road which is in the Upperthorpe area of Sheffield
1911 Census Record - William Thompson Smout
Relationship to Head of Household Son
Condition Single
Gender Male
Age 24 Estimated Year of Birth 1887
Occupation Steam Cooperage
Employed Yes Working at Home No
Place of Birth Sheffield Yorkshire
Nationality British
Enumerator Information
Address 11 Yeomans Road Sheffield Parish Ecclesall Town Sheffield
Type of Building Private House Number of Rooms Five Inhabited Yes
Reference RG14PN27724 RG78PN1588 RD509 SD2 ED4 SN192 Administrative County
Yorkshire (West Riding) Registration District Ecclesall Bierlow
Registration Sub District Ecclesall West Central Enumeration District 4
Reference Information Folio 383 Page 1 Piece 27724 RD number 509 SD number 2 ED
number 4 Schedule 192
ten years earlier the family were living just off
Infirmary Road, and area that is adjacent to Upperthorpe
1901 Census Record - William Smout
Relation to Head of Family Son
Age 14 Sex Male
Profession or Occupation Juvenile
Condition as to Marriage Single
Where Born Sheffield Yorkshire
Address 15 Portland Street Civil Parish Nether Hallam Town or Village or Hamlet
Sheffield
Ecclesiastical Parish St Philips Parliamentary Borough or Division Hallam County
Borough, Municipal Borough or Urban District Sheffield
Administrative County Sheffield Ward of Municipal Borough or Urban District
Nether Hallam
Reference Information Folio 11 Page 13 Piece 4341
And that is the sum of my research to date. The excellent Sheffield Soldiers of the Great War site gives the following information. An image of William appears in the Sheffield Daily Independent on the following dates
Smout. W. Pte. Missing. Of 11 Yeomans Road, Upperthorpe.
24/8/16 SDI.
Smout. W.T. Pte. Killed. Of 11 Yeomans Road, Upperthorpe. 22/9/16 SDI.
and rather unusually I can find no trace of William on any memorial or Roll of Honour
Sources
Sheffield Soldiers of the Great
War
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
UK Census
This page was last updated on 06/02/14 17:04