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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