Hero of the Month - January 2024
Published in Britain at War - January 2024
Lieutenant Edward Benn Smith VC, DCM
Edward Smith, who tried and failed to enrol in the Army when still only 17, was a young man in a hurry. When he did eventually serve on the frontline during the final months of the Great War, he made his mark, when still only 19, in two separate actions in less than a fortnight.
His bravery on those occasions led to him being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and the Victoria Cross (VC). As the proud custodian Smith’s medal group, purchased at auction in 1996, I am delighted to tell the story of his life and career.
Edward Benn Smith, known as “Ned” to family and friends, was born in Maryport, Cumberland (now part of Cumbria) on November 10 1898. He was one of five children, with two brothers and two sisters, born to Charles Smith and his wife, Martha (née Benn). The small, coastal town of Maryport , situated just outside the Lake District National Park, was known for its fishing and coal mining. Smith’s father was a seaman, serving in the Royal Naval Reserve which, during 1915, led to him seeing action in the Dardanelles. His mother’s family on both sides had been fishermen.
After attending the National School in Maryport, Edward Smith became a miner, working in the Oughterside Colliery close to his home town. On December 11 1915, Smith tried to enrol in the Army but he was instead transferred to the reserves because of his tender age. In July 1917, by this point aged 18, he enlisted as a private with the Lancashire Fusiliers.
Smith arrived in France on December 10 1917 where he joined the 1/5th Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers. An enthusiastic soldier, he was promoted to lance sergeant while serving in the Givenchy area of France. However, it was not until the following August that Smith was given the chance – in a series of frontline battles during the so-called “Hundred Days Offensive” – to show his formidable prowess as a soldier.
On August 10 1918, during the Battle of Amiens, Smith showed both courage and leadership skills during an action south of Hébuterne in which he obtained useful information on enemy positions before inflicting heavy casualties too.
Major-General Arthur Solly-Flood, the commanding officer of the 42nd East Lancashire Infantry Division, commended Smith’s actions in the following terms: “On 10 August, south east of Hébuterne, this N.C.O. led a daylight patrol. By skilful handling and use of cover he examined two points of the enemy line about which information was required. This information he obtained. When on the point of returning, Sgt Smith noticed a party of forty of the enemy coming forward from their main line of resistance, obviously to take up night outpost dispositions. Sgt Smith decided to wait for the enemy, and engage them, though outnumbered. He inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, who at once scattered. His initiative and determination to inflict casualties on the enemy was a fine example.”
This statement from formed the basis of the citation for Smith’s DCM which was announced in The London Gazette at the end of October 1918, shortly before the Great War ended.
Smith showed still greater courage during the Battle of Albert, which began on August 21 1918, just 11 days after his DCM action. The battle involved a sustained effort from III Corps of the Third Army to advance the line a good distance north of Albert as far as the railway to Arras.
In advance of the battle, the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers had gathered in positions west of Beaumont Hamel-Puiseux on August 20. The battalion had been given three key targets: Hill 140 (also known as “The Lozenge”), the high ground further east of Hill 140 and the village of Beauregard Dovecot.
Early the next morning, shortly before 5am, the 1/5th Battalion began to advance south of Puisieux towards Hill 140. They knew their objectives were heavily defended but they had the advantage of having supporting heavy artillery fire and a thick mist.
It was during the next 72 hours that Smith showed such outstanding courage, particularly in the attack on Beauregard Dovecot, that he was later awarded the VC. The citation for his decoration, announced in The London Gazette on October 22 1918, tells the story of his gallantry during intense fighting: “For most conspicuous bravery, leadership and personal example during an attack and subsequent operations.
“Sjt. Smith while in charge of a platoon personally took a machine-gun post, rushing the garrison with his rifle and bayonet. The enemy on seeing him advance scattered to throw hand grenades at him. Regardless of all danger, and almost without halting in his rush on the post, this N.C.O. shot and killed at least six of the enemy. Later, seeing another platoon requiring assistance, he led his men to them, took command of the situation and captured the objective.
“During the enemy counter-attack on the following day he led a section forward and restored a portion of the line. His personal bravery, skill and initiative were outstanding, and his conduct throughout exemplified magnificent courage and skill, and was an inspiring example to all.”
Due the exceptional bravery of Smith and others like him, the objective for the Battle of Arras had largely been achieved by the evening of August 23, after three days of heavy fighting, although Miraumont remained in enemy hands.
After the announcement of Smith’s VC, it is believed that, still only 19 and a month short of his 20th birthday, he became the youngest holder of the decoration in the Army. His investiture took place at Buckingham Palace on November 9 1918 when he was presented with his VC by King George V. Two days later hostilities ended with the signing of the Armistice.
Smith had played a key role in the Hundred Days Offensive, which was a series of major Allied advances that eventually ended the Great War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens – lasting from August 8-12 and during which Smith took part in his DCM action – the Allies pushed back the Germans, thereby regaining territory lost during Germany’s Spring Offensive. The Battle of Albert – lasting from August 21-23 and during which Smith took part in his VC action – had been another key victory in the Hundred Days Offensive.
Shortly after the war ended, Smith returned to his home town where he found the entire population keen to take part in his VC celebrations. As he arrived in Maryport, he was greeted by a crowd of 6,000 people and several speeches were delivered in his honour at the town’s market place. Smith was presented with a long-case clock, a silver tea-set, a gold watch and chain, and £200 in War Bonds, a considerable sum in those days.
Smith was also promoted to full sergeant but declined the offer of a commission. His parents were also given some gifts, including a gold brooch, while members of the Home Defence Corps escorted Smith back to his family home in North Quay, Maryport.
Two local newspapers, including The Whitehaven News, carried stories on the VC celebrations with one report stating: “Sergeant Smith is not only a VC but looks it. He is a British soldier every inch of him. He is an A1 man from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. … He has not only won the VC but he has a chest on which to display it.”
Smith briefly left the Army but he decided not to return to his job as a miner. Instead, he re-enlisted on May 5 1919, initially serving with the Cameron Highlanders. A short time later, he transferred to the 1st Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, who were then based at Blackdown, Aldershot, Hampshire.
In 1920, Smith was made a drum major and in the same year he was one of numerous VC holders invited by the King to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, which was held on June 20. In 1924, Smith was promoted to company sergeant major and two years later he was posted to Malaya, where he had responsibilities for training the local volunteer force over the next three years.
In July 1932, Smith was promoted to regimental sergeant major and he served in this rank in Colchester, Essex, and, later, in Shanghai and Tientsin, China. In 1938, as he approached his 40th birthday, Smith left the Army and joined the Corps of Commissionaires in London.
However, within a year, the world was at war again and so Smith re-joined the Army, this time accepting a short service commission as a lieutenant and quartermaster. He served with the 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers, as part of the British Expeditionary Force in France.
However, the exact circumstances of his subsequent death on January 12 1940 are shrouded in mystery. He was discovered dead in a store room with critical head wounds but how he received his injuries was a matter of conjecture. There was a suggestion he had been killed by “friendly fire” but this seems unlikely. Given his expertise in firearms, it was even more unlikely that he had shot himself accidentally. On balance, it seems more likely that Smith took his own life but this is far from certain. Smith was an incredibly brave man but it is possible that by this stage in his life he was struggling with what would not be described as mental health issues.
Smith, who was single, died aged 41 and was buried in Beuvry Communal Cemetery Extension, Pas de Calais, France. His parents were sent a telegram the day after his death saying that their son had been “killed in action”. A colonel had written to Charles and Martha Smith on the same day saying their son had died from a “bullet in the head” but without going into the exact circumstances of his death. Later in the war, his mother presented the Army with her son’s World War One uniform so that it could be used by a serviceman.
Smith’s name is listed on the Maryport War Memorial in Cumbria but, given his outstanding and gallant career, it is perhaps sad that there are not more memorials in his memory. However, I am delighted that his medal group is on display at the gallery bearing my name at the Imperial War Museum, London.
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