Trafford

Born during the September quarter 1895 in the Altrincham R.D. - ref:
8a/188, the son of Samuel & Elizabeth Smith (nee Johnson).

1901 Census - 7 Navigation Road, Broadheath - aged: 5 - born: Broadheath.  
Head of household - Samuel Smith - aged: 52 - occ: Cabinet Maker - born:
Manchester.  Also Elizabeth Smith - Wife - aged: 45 - born: Manchester.  
Plus 6 elder siblings.

His father - Samuel, died in 1908, aged: 59.   

1911 Census - 17 Navigation Road, Altrincham,   Son - (Listed as SAM Smith)
aged: 16 - occ: Engineers Miller - born: Altrincham.   Head of household -
Elizabeth Smith - Widow - aged: 56 - born: Manchester.   Plus 5 elder
siblings.

SDGW states that he was born at St. Alban's, Broadheath and enlisted at
Altrincham.

MIC - confirms that he held the rank of Corporal and states that he was
posted to (2b) = Balkans (Gallipoli) on the 26th June 1915.  That he was
awarded the 15 Star, the BWM & the VM.  His date of death was accepted as
being on the 9th April 1916, indicating that there was some uncertainty as
to which day he was killed.

In February 1915 the 8th Bn, Cheshire Rgt moved to Pirbright and in June
1915 embarked for Egypt and thence to Gallipoli.  They were evacuated from
Suvla on the 19th and 20th of December 1915, and after a weeks rest they
moved to the Helles bridgehead.  They were in action during The last
Turkish attacks at Helles on the 7th of January 1916 and were evacuated
from Helles on the 8th and 9th. The Division concentrated at Port Said,
holding forward posts in the Suez Canal defences.

On the 12th of February 1916 they moved to Mesopotamia (Iraq), to join the
force being assembled near Sheikh Sa'ad for the relief of the besieged
garrison at Kut al Amara.   They joined the Tigris Corps on the 27th of
March and were in action in the unsuccessful attempts to relieve Kut.   The
first Battle of Kut, begun on the 5th April 1916, the final British attempt
to relieve the Turkish siege of Sir Charles Townshend's beleaguered 10,000
troops garrisoned at Kut.

Attacking at dawn on the 5th April 1916, the British were surprised to
discover the Turkish first line unoccupied and regrouped preparatory for a
frontal assault upon Fallahiyeh that same evening.  Fallahiyeh was duly
taken following an advance across mud-soaked terrain, but at heavy cost. 
Meanwhile a secondary attack along the other bank of the Tigris River
encountered relatively light opposition.  With Fallahiyeh secured reserve
forces were set in place in readiness for a follow-up attack against
Sannaiyat the next morning.  Despite these early successes, British
casualties were nevertheless uncomfortably high: 2,000 on the first day
alone.

Progress was much more difficult to come by on the following morning. 
Attack after attack upon Sannaiyat was repulsed over succeeding days. 
1,200 British casualties were incurred alone on 6 April, with additional
losses suffered the next day and on 9 April.

Until 1997 the Basra Memorial was located on the main quay of the naval
dockyard at Maqil, on the west bank of the Shatt-al-Arab, about 8
kilometres north of Basra.   Sadam Hussein ordered it to be moved to a new
site, 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah, in the middle of what was
a major battleground during the first Gulf War.