Private Abraham Bert SMITH
1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, 3/8397
Labour Corps 222029
Abraham was born on 13 January 1891 in Spratton. He was the son of Reuben Smith, a farm labourer from a long-established family in the village, and his wife Elizabeth (née Buckby) and brother of John William and Frank. The family lived in Smith Street, opposite Home Farm. All three brothers served in the First World War and sadly, John William was killed in action. After leaving school, Abraham became an ironstone labourer, working for the Brixworth Ironstone Co Ltd. By 1911 he was living in Northampton and on 26 March 1912 he married May Richards in Northampton. A son, Sidney Samuel, was born on 19 June of that year. By the time their second son, John Bert, was born on 2 October 1913 they had moved back to Spratton.
On 15 June 1908 aged 17 Abraham joined the Special Reserve of the Northamptonshire Regiment and undertook regular training over the next few years. In 1913 he was re-engaged for a further six years and appointed Lance Corporal. In August 1914 he and his brother John William were mobilised and allocated to the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. They were sent to France and while waiting to start active service Abraham was demoted back to Private. He and his brother were involved in a number of actions, including the 1st Battle of Ypres. He received serious gunshot wounds to his legs on 2 November 1914, the same day that his brother was killed, when there was heavy shelling of the trenches. He was treated at the military hospital at Rouen before being invalided back to England. He spent some time in hospital in Manchester before being posted back to France in March 1916. He proved to be still unfit and never returned to active service. He was transferred to the Labour Corps on 30 June 1917 but continued to be unfit and he returned to England for munitions work. He was applied for by his former employer, the Brixworth Ironstone Co Ltd, and he began work as an ironstone labourer on 8 January 1918. He was transferred to the Reserve and finally discharged in February 1919.
Abraham was awarded the 1914 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He died in Northampton in June 1952 aged 61.
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EXPLORE SECTIONS
MEN WHO SERVED
- Private Charles Herbert AUSTIN (known as Herbert)
- Corporal Frank AUSTIN
- Lance Corporal James William AUSTIN
- Private John Samuel AUSTIN
- Sergeant William Henry AUSTIN
- Sergeant Bertie Henry BALDERSON
- Corporal Frederick Charles BALDERSON MM
- Lance Corporal Robert Samuel BALDERSON
- Private George William BUCKBY (known as William)
- Private Henry Andrew BUCKBY
- Richard Henry Horne BUCKBY
- Transport Sergeant Thomas BUCKBY MM
- Company Quartermaster Sergeant William Gander BUCKBY
- William Archibald COPSON (known as Archibald)
- Sapper Ebenezer COPSON
- Private Ernest Edward COPSON
- Pioneer Henry Owman COPSON (known as Harry)
- Private James COPSON
- Private John William COPSON
- Private Joseph COPSON
- Private Arthur Sidney GOODEN (known as Sidney)
- Private Hugh Henry GOODEN
- Sergeant Joseph Eric GOODEN (known as Eric)
- Private Arthur Thomas HAYTER
- Driver Frank Leonard HAYTER
- Private Harold Herbert HAYTER
- Lance Corporal John Charles HAYTER DCM (known as Jack)
- Private Walter Ernest HAYTER
- Ordinary Seaman Arthur Charles HORNE
- Private John William HORNE (known as William)
- Lance Corporal Lewis HORNE
- Private Thomas HORNE
- Driver John Henry LEESON
- Corporal Joseph Henry LEESON (known as Harry)
- Thomas Baden Powell LEESON (known as ‘Bard’)
- Private Albert MANNING
- Corporal Amos MANNING
- Private Arthur Cecil MANNING
- Private George MANNING
- Sergeant George William MANNING
- Sapper Henry Stanley MANNING (known as Stanley)
- Private John Thomas MANNING
- Private John William MANNING
- Air Mechanic Nathaniel MANNING
- Driver/Saddler Samuel MANNING
- Gunner George Albert MARTIN
- Private Joseph MARTIN
- Private Thomas Henry MARTIN (known as Harry)
- Private Thomas Walter MARTIN (known as Walter)
- Pioneer Walter Ernest MARTIN
- Sergeant William Higgs MARTIN, DCM
- Private Arthur Walter PAGE
- Private Francis Samuel PAGE (known as Sam)
- Private Frank PAGE
- Private Stephen PAGE
- Lieutenant George REEVE MC MM
- Private Richard Henry REEVE (known as Harry)
- Private Samuel REEVE
- Private Sidney Philip REEVE
- Private Frederick Thomas RICHARDSON
- Private John William RICHARDSON
- Private Percy John Partridge RICHARDSON
- Private Abraham Bert SMITH
- Private Alfred SMITH
- Private Frank SMITH 46648
- Private John Samuel SMITH
- Private John William SMITH (6942)
- Private John William (William John) SMITH (8964)
- Private Charles Walter WADHAMS
- Private John Edward WADHAMS
- Private Thomas Edwin WADHAMS
- Private William WADHAMS