George Wilfred “Fred” Smith [1888-1918]
George Wilfred Smith (or Fred Smith as he was later known) was born 5 September 1887, the son of Adam Smith and Kate Julianna Williams and the twin brother of Charles Smith [D04795]. Like his brothers and sisters, he was born in the family home in Eugenia Falls [D04832]. He spent his early years in Eugenia Falls and for a time worked as a sawmill operator [D04736].
Fred enlisted on 22 September 1914, just shortly after World War One began [D04976]. He was one of the very first from the area to enlist [D04864]. Upon enlisting, he joined the 15th Battalion and was made a private in Company D, regimental number 27543 [D04976] [D05062].
Fred trained with the battalion for a few months and sailed over to Europe to join the rest of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in France. In April of 1915, he fought in the battle of St. Julien which was part of the larger second battle of Ypres and one of the first occasions that the Germans used poison gas on the western front. Fred was one of the soldiers gassed and taken prisoner in that battle on April 24, 1915 [D04976, D04864].
Fred spent most of the war in a German prisoner-of-war camp. Despite living in less-than-favourable conditions he kept his spirits up and wrote many letters home to his family. His letters home were usually quite cheerful despite his circumstances [D04830, D04865, D04836].
Fred wrote the letter below to his twin brother Charlie on May 1, 1916 from his prison camp in Germany. It was very likely never read by Charlie as it probably arrived after he had died.
Langensalza, Germany.[D04868]
May 1, 1916
Dear Brother Charlie:
You can certainly believe that I was glad to get your letter and to read that you and the rest are well. Hope that the warm weather will help father and Uncle Sidney to enjoy better health. The weather is nice and warm here just now and we have a football team so we have that way to cheer us up a little.
Well, how many eggs did you get away with on Easter? I got some for 20 pfennings, or 4e. I had about a dozen Easter week. We have not been getting our letters regular on account of changing camp. Hope it will be better soon. The camp Orrdrufs was taken for convalescent camp. Oh, say! Some one sent me a parcel of underwear, chiclets, magazine, pipe and can of veal and ham and I wish you to thank them in the Montreal paper as the address is blurred so I can't answer and thank them and if it was not intended for me tell that I am sorry. I will put my address on the back of this [sheet?]
Well, Charlie, I do hope this awful old war will soon be over and may God bless and keep you all spiritually and physically, lovingly yours, brother Fred.
P.S. - Give my love to father and mother.
Address - Kriegsgefangenen Laegar, Langensalza, Germany
In September of 1916 a letter was received from Fred, written from his prison camp in Germany thanking the Eugenia Women’s Institutes for the boxes of comforts sent to him [D04910].
In February of 1917, a letter was received from Fred in Germany thanking his many friends for the many little comforts they have sent him [D04912].
In May of 1917, Kate received a letter from Fred from his prison camp in Germany. The letter included a photo to show that he was still in good health [D04913].
In June of 1917, Kate received another letter from Fred in Germany stating that he was ill, but a second letter arriving in July indicated that he was feeling well again [D04916].
In the fall of 1917, Fred was freed from the prisoner-of-war camp as part of a prisoner exchange. He was sent to a hospital in Switzerland [D04864, D05025 p404].
In the summer of 1918, Fred wrote a letter home from Switzerland under the pseudonym “Old Bill”. The letter was published in the Flesherton Advance, June 13, 1918. Having seen many atrocities and feeling the effects of having been involved in the war for almost four years, he wrote the anonymous letter as a call for anyone who was able to help out with the war effort.
Dear Sir, - Having head through a certain source that you would be pleased to get a letter from anyone in the army, I determined to immediately send you one. I would like it to be one that would bring good results. You see it is with an eye to the interests of the good old flag that I am writing this at all.
What I am going to say relates to manpower, as they say today. Is it possible for Canada to send many more men to the army? Can the women of Canada do any more than they are doing to allow of more men joining up? If not, do they not realise what they owe the army for protecting them against German Militarism? But then, if only all men would only try to imagine what their feelings would be just supposing that all men were slackers and that Germans were in possession of Canada, why everyone medically fit at all would insist on going to the front. Just imagine for a moment our women and children undergoing the horrible treatment the inhuman outrages and insults as the unfortunate Belgians received. It's up to every man who is physically able to do his utmost and the women's duty to see that every man available shall go, as they are doing in "Blighty." No one knows better than I do for experience (I believe that old saying) is the best teacher. If there is anyone who does not believe that, I advise them to try only one month in Germany. So you see, the prospect of being under German rule during a life time (if you don't like to think of any one else) would not be very pleasant, would it? Yours till 1920 or the end of the war.
- Old Bill
[D04894]
In July of 1918, Adam and Kate were waiting to hear word about Fred’s return. Unfortunately, the message that they received was not at all what they were expecting because on 27 July 1918, Kate Smith received news by cable that her son Fred had died in Concert, Switzerland. No further details were given at that time. [D04865, D04921]
Fred’s mother, Kate received a letter later in August 1918 from Switzerland. In the letter, one who had attended Fred’s funeral in Switzerland had indicated that he had died in hospital of influenza [D04919]. Later correspondence confirmed that he had died on 22 August 1918 at the age of 30 at a hospital in Switzerland due to influenza [D04839]. This must have come as a surprise to the family, as they had no idea that he had been in such a serious condition [D04830, D04865, D04836]. The last letter that they had received from him was written on June 15th and he seemed to be in good health at the time [D04864].
Back in Eugenia Falls a memorial service was held on Sunday September the 8th at noon in the Eugenia Presbyterian Church [D04920, D04921]. Rev. McVicar performed the service and the church was overflowing with community members, including a large number of Fred’s fellow Orangemen [D04921]. Many people in the town came to help the Smith family deal with the tragedy as this loss represented their third son to have been lost in two years after Charlie drowned and Emerson was killed in 1917 [D04830, D04865, D04836].
Fred’s remains were buried in Vevey Cemetery in Switzerland. The cemetery is also known as St. Martin’s Cemetery. The inscription reads “He is not dead, just gone before” [D04839]. A funeral service was held for him in Switzerland. He is also commemorated in Flesherton Cemetery along with other members of the family [D04351].
After the war, Fred’s mother was a big part of ensuring that a war memorial was set up in Eugenia Park to commemorate the fallen soldiers from the area, including her two sons. The memorial was officially dedicated on 21 July 1921 and list both Fred and his brother Emerson [D05025 p 401 & 402].
Sources
[D04351] Flesherton Cemetery (Flesherton, Grey, Ontario).
[D04736] 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 72, sub-district 4, Eugenia, p. 7, dwelling 70, family 70; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 Oct 2018).
[D04795] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929; Reel: 81: 309, 9796, 32; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (25 Oct 2018).
[D04830] "Private Fred Smith Dead in Switzerland," Grey County Surname Collection, 1918; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey County Surname Collection.
[D04836] "Private Fred Smith Died in Switzerland," Grey County Surname Collection, 1918; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey County Surname Collection.
[D04864] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 1 Aug 1918, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 9 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04865] "Private Fred Smith Dead in Switzerland," Flesherton Advance, August 1, 1918, p. 2, col. 3; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04868] "A Letter From Germany," Flesherton Advance, July 6, 1916, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04894] "Ole Bill Writes From Switzerland," Flesherton Advance, June 13 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 18 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04910] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, September 7, 1916, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 18 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04912] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, February 22 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04913] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 31 May 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04916] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 26 July 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04919] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 22 Aug 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04920] "Eugenia," Flesherton Advance, 5 Sep 1918, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04921] "Eugenia," Flesherton Advance, 12 Sep 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.
[D04976] Canada, "Service Record Card - Fred Smith"; digital images, 48th Highlanders Museum (http://48highlanders.com/04_03.html : accessed 10 Nov 2018).
[D05025] Mildred Young Hubbert, editor, Split Rail Country: A History of Artemesia Township (Owen Sound, Ontario: Stan Brown Printers Limited, 1986)
[D05062] Canadian Expeditionary Forces Fifteenth Battalion, Nominal Roll of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men (Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau, 1915), 13.
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