A poignant rededication service was held today, March 25, at the graveside of Captain Hubert Leslie Smith in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Ham British Cemetery near Saint Quentin. The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘War Detectives’, was a significant moment in honouring the life and sacrifice of Capt Smith, who died on March 24, 1918.
The journey to this moment was long and complex. After the war, Capt Smith’s remains were recovered and buried in Ham British Cemetery as an unknown captain of The King’s (Liverpool Regiment). His name was commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, a testament to the enduring memory of his sacrifice. However, the exact location of his grave remained a mystery until a researcher submitted a case to the CWGC, hoping to identify his final resting place.
Following further investigation by the National Army Museum and the JCCC, the location of Capt Smith’s grave was finally confirmed. This breakthrough enabled the JCCC to organise the rededication service, which was attended by serving soldiers of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and The Royal Yorkshire Regiment, as well as members of the Smith family.
The service was a powerful tribute to Capt Smith’s bravery and sacrifice. JCCC Caseworker Rosie Barron noted that it was a privilege to work with The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment to organise the service and to have the Smith family present. “Although Capt Smith died 107 years ago, his memory has lived on within his family,” Barron said. “It is essential that men like Capt Smith, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country, are honoured and remembered for their bravery.”
The Smith family, who travelled from the UK and the USA to attend the service, expressed their gratitude to the JCCC and all those involved in discovering their relative and providing this opportunity to pay tribute to his life, service, and death. Peter Smith, Capt Smith’s great nephew, 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.”
The service was conducted by Reverend Paul Robinson CF, Chaplain to 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, who highlighted the importance of honouring the fallen. “As an Army Chaplain, honouring the fallen is one of our most sacred tasks,” Robinson said. “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.”
The CWGC replaced the headstone over Capt Smith’s grave, ensuring that his final resting place is marked with dignity. 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.”
