Biography of William Leonard SMITH
[Ref. R.424]
| Ancestors |  |
Profile | |
Naval Service | |
Index for SMITH |
Biography of William Leonard SMITH
[Ref. R.424]
| Ancestors | |
Profile | |
Naval Service | |
Index for SMITH |
William Leonard Smith was born at 50 Little Queen Street in Dartford, Kent on 5 December 1909. Known as Bill, he was the third of the six children of William and Lillian Smith.
The census of 1911 shows him at home with his family at 1 Wellington Road in Dartford. When the next census was taken in 1921, the family were living in The Bungalow in Lowfield Street in Dartford.
Bill had been working with his father as a milkman but, on 25 June 1925 he joined the Naval Training Establishment HMS Ganges at Shotley in Suffolk, sarting as a Boy rating class 2. His service number was J.114246. He was promoted to Boy class 1 on 11 February 1926 and held that rating when he transferred to the naval base HMS Columbine at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth on 27 March the same year. Between 2 October and 28 November 1926, Bill was aboard HMS Ark Royal before transferring to HMS Royal Sovereign on 29 November.
On 5 December 1927, still aboard HMS Royal Sovereign, Bill signed on to serve for twelve years aa an Ordinary Seaman. At the time of his signing on, his characteristics were recorded on his service record as Height: 5'6", Chest: 35", Hair: Brown, Eyes: Brown, Complexion: Fresh, Mole on neck. He remained on board HMS Royal Sovereign and rose to Able Seaman on 5 June 1929.
On 15 September 1930, Bill moved to HMS Pembroke which was the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham and remained there until 2 September 1931. The following day, he was transferred to HMS Repulse on which he served until 8 June 1932. He then moved to HMS Renown until 5 December 1933. From 3 May 1934 Bill was back at HMS Pembroke and remained there until the last day of 1940.
It was during that time, in 1937 that Bill married Elsie Crickmore. The electoral registers from 1937 to 1939 list Bill at his father's house, The Bungalow in Lowfield Street, Dartford. Bill and Elsie's daughter Barbara was born in 1940.
On 1 January 1941 Bill was moved to HMS Cormorant. On 11 July 1944, he returned to HMS Pembroke at Chatham and remained there until he was released by the navy on 5 November 1945. His service record shows that his conduct throughout his career in the navy had been classed largely as 'Very Good'. He had been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Son Roderick was born in Chatham in 1951 but nothing thereafter is known of Bill or his family until his death in Dartford in 1974. He had been living at 11 Haywards Close in Crayford, Kent. He was cremated and his ashes spread in the churchyard of the parish church in Crayford on 8 June that year.