238159 Pte. Benjamin James Smith British Army 1st Btn. King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment from:Tipton, West Midlands My Great Grandad, Benjamin Smith, enlisted on 25th of February 1916. He served in the 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment for just over a year, until he was injured just before the Battle of Passchendaele. The injuries he received were a gunshot wound which shattered his face and caused him to lose his right eye. He spent quite a few months in hospital before finally being discharged from the Army on 2nd of July 1917. He was passed as medically unfit for active duty but was allowed to transfer to the Army reserve. After recovering from his injuries he joined the Royal Air Force on 11th of September 1918. He had the rank of AC2 and his service number was 294887. He was a batman to one of the officers. He was finally discharged from the RAF on 18th December 1918.
Benjamin J Smith received the British War Medal, the Allied Victory Medal and, as he was injured during active service, the Silver War Badge.
He married in 1921 and went on to have two sons and two daughters, the eldest being my Grandfather. At the time of writing, his youngest son is still alive and is now 90 years old.
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