13041 Private Smith (Maxwell)

 

Regiment: 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion

Born on 14th December 1889 to William, a school teacher, and Ann. William was originally from England and Ann was Scottish by birth. Maxwell was the youngest of seven children with five sisters and a brother. The family lived in the Peterborough West area of Ontario.
By the time he was 20 Maxwell had moved to the York Centre area of Ontario and was assisting Mr Ernest Marmaduke who ran a house for child immigrants to Canada who had subsequently become orphans.

On the outbreak of war Maxwell enlisted into the army and went to Valcartier Camp where the Canadian Expeditionary Force were being formed and becoming part of the 5th Battalion the Canadian Infantry. The Battalion embarked Quebec on 26th September 1914, landing at Devonport on 17th October and then travelling by train to Lavington before marching to their campsite in West Down, just outside of Tilshead. By December 1914 the Battalion was moving in to a hutted camp (largely built with their own hands) at Larkhill.

The general health of the troops was poor, Maxwell developed Bronchial Pneumonia which he died of on 6th January 1915, aged 25 years old. He is buried in plot 10 of the graveyard of All Saints Netheravon.