The soldier we are researching is Arthur George SMITH, who died at the Battle of Fromelles, France, 20 July 1916. We need your assistance to find relatives to help identify the soldier via DNA.

Arthur was a 21-year-old blacksmith’s striker, not quite 5’4” tall, and less than 9 stone when he signed up in 1915. His record can be seen at the National Archives of Australia web site. (59 pages) – there is a link at the end of this story.

Arthur Smith is believed to be one of the soldiers from the mass grave at Fromelles as his identification disc was found and returned by the Germans. We need help to identify him – to find relatives to talk to, or to find relatives who may be the DNA match. Identifying any siblings of his grandparents would be a start. Are there any SPRINTALL or KEY cousins out there? More about that later.

Arthur’s parents came from Derbyshire in England. His father, Abram Smith (1864-1921) was born in Shottle, Derbyshire and, by 1891, he was widowed with one son (Fred 1888-1958). In that year, Abram married Charlotte Knowles (1872-1952) of Eckington, Derbyshire in Chesterfield and they went on to have a further five sons who survived to adulthood. Arthur was the first of these five followed by Frank, Alfred, Ernest and Harold.

In 1908 when Arthur was about 15, the family migrated to Western Australia, living in Guildford, Perth. By 1910, Abram was supporting the family working as an engine driver and, in 1911 aged 18, young Arthur also joined the Western Australian Railways. He worked as a junior labourer for about three years and then became a blacksmith’s striker.

Aged 21, Arthur answered the call for new recruits after the Gallipoli landing and enlisted in July 1915. He was assigned to the 32nd Battalion and underwent initial training at the Blackboy Hill training camp in WA before heading to Adelaide from where they left first for Egypt and then France.

Less than 12 months after signing up, Arthur was reported missing on 20 July 1916.

In November 1916, Arthur’s name appeared on the German Death list and by April 1917 his family had been formally advised that he had been killed in action.

Arthur’s identification disc was returned to British military authorities but it was not until 1920 that it was finally returned to his family. It appears that this was the only item returned home despite many hopeful requests from the family for any:

Private Arthur George Smith was always remembered by his family with at least one nephew named in his honour. Memorial notices appeared each July for many years and he was specifically named in his parents’ death notices in 1921 and 1952. The July 1917 notice is below.

As an aside, Major Richard A. Geddes, M.C., who inserted the third of the notices above, was from Western Australia. He was a captain in the 32nd Battalion at Fromelles and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during that battle. It is highly likely that he knew Private Arthur Smith and was in contact with his family.

Private Arthur George Smith’s name is commemorated at Fromelles (V.C. Corner) and in Australia on the following memorials:

We are searching the female line for Arthur and have been unable to find any of that Mt DNA line for his mother Charlotte Knowles and grandmother Alice Davenport/Devonport.

However, we think it may be possible to go back to his great grandmother, Maria SPRINTALL, who married Robert Davenport in 1849 at Chesterfield, and her mother, Martha KEY, who married Samuel SPRINTALL in 1802, at Stavely, Chesterfield. We are hopeful that there may be female descendants of these marriages.