He was born 9th January 1910, and was baptised on 6th March at the Mitcham parish church. In the 1911 census he is shown as living with his parents William John and Martha Ann Smith, both aged 44, at 8 Belgrave Road.

He married 6th June 1931 to Alice Louisa Ferridge at the parish church in Church Road. He was 21, a bricklayer. She was also 21 years old. They both lived at 6 Seaton Road.

Marriage Banns

The 1939 Register shows them living at 20 Dalton Avenue.

He served as a stoker on the H.M.S. Tetcott from December 1941. This was a Type 2 frigate escort ship in Mediterranean. It was anchored outside Malta when Malta was badly bombed.

Sources:
Birth : Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers
Marriage Banns : Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Reference Number: 3477/4
1939 Register : The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/1373F