Smith, William Ernest Owen

War Service:

Leading Seaman WILLIAM ERNEST OWEN SMITH drowned on 28 March 1916 while serving on the cruiser HMS Conquest. One of the ship’s boats bringing a party back from shore leave became lost in a snowstorm off Harwich and sank. He is buried in Shotley St Mary churchyard in Suffolk.

Location of Memorial:

He is remembered in the Book of Remembrance at the church of St Saviour, Forest Hill.

Details:

He was the son of Samuel Maddox Smith and Sarah Eliza Smith, of 27, Ewart Rd., Forest Hill.
He held the Messina Medal, a commemorative medal awarded by the Italian royal family to all those involved in rescue work after the earthquake in 1908.

Source:

www.naval-history.net

Contributed By:

Andy Pepper

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