'Unknown' soldier's grave identified 107 years after his death
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-25)

The final resting place of a Devonian man who served with the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) in World War 1 has been named in France almost exactly 107 years after his death.

A rededication service, at which Captain (Capt) Hubert Leslie Smith’s name was added to his gravestone, was held today (25 March) at his graveside in Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Ham British Cemetery near Saint Quentin.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘War Detectives’ and was attended by serving soldiers of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and The Royal Yorkshire Regiment.

Members of the Smith family stand at the graveside with the military party (Crown Copyright)

Capt Smith died on 24 March 1918 and after the war his remains were recovered and buried in Ham British Cemetery as an unknown captain of The King’s (Liverpool Regiment). Because he was missing Capt Smith was commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.

The location of Capt Smith’s grave came to light after a researcher submitted a case to CWGC hoping to have identified his final resting place. After further investigation by the National Army Museum and JCCC, it was confirmed.

JCCC Caseworker, Rosie Barron, said:

It has been a privilege to work with The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment to organise the rededication service for Capt Smith today and to have had his family present at the service. Although Capt Smith died 107 years ago, his memory has lived on within his family. It is important that men such as Capt Smith, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country, are honoured and remembered for their bravery.

The service was attended by Capt Smith’s great nephews and their families, who had travelled from the UK and the USA to attend the service.

Peter Smith, great nephew of Capt Smith said:

Today’s Smith family in both the UK and the USA were both surprised and pleased to have this opportunity to understand and recognise the life and service of a man we never met in person. Thank you JCCC and all those involved for discovering our relative and providing this opportunity to pay tribute to his life, service, and death from long ago.

Reverend Paul Robinson CF, Chaplain to 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment who conducted the service said:

It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to preside at the Rededication Service of Captain Hubert Leslie Smith. As an Army Chaplain, honouring the fallen is one of our most sacred tasks. It is our role to silently shepherd an often-beleaguered nation through grief and we revere those who have died and lay to rest those who have served our nation with dignity and honour and treat their families with respect and compassion. Memorials reflect the emphasis the British people place on the worth and value of the individual.

Captain Smith's new headstone at Ham British Cemetery (Crown Copyright)

The headstone over the grave was replaced by CWGC. Director for the France Area at the CWGC, Jeremy Prince, said:

We are honoured to mark Capt Smith’s grave with a new Commonwealth War Graves headstone, more than a century after his death. We will care for his grave, and those of his comrades at Ham British Cemetery, in perpetuity.