Walter Smith

He enlisted 22/12/1914. Smith's military service has provoked interesting debate. John Cotterill, custodian of the Sherwood Foresters' archive, notes '20997 is a 9th Battalion number not a 2nd Battalion number. Smith therefore served initially with the 9th Battalion as a K1 volunteer. This, combined with the information on his medal card, would indicate service in the Dardanelles. One can only speculate on when and for what reason he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion. The 9th Battalion were in Egypt until June 1916 so if Smith fought at Gallipoli he must have been returned to the UK before that (wounded or on a course) and then been drafted to the 2nd Battalion.' However, Julian Putkowski writes 'On Smith serving in Gallipoli (Medal Card 2b) - I think it's an error originally stemming from the 1914-1915 Star entry. I reckon the association of blocks of numbers with particular Sherwood battalions needs a measure of qualification - the numbers may have conceivably been issued on attestation, perhaps at a depot, before assignment to a particular battalion. That would settle the conundrum of why a 9th Bn ranker might be shifted to 2nd Bn. If not, I think deferring, excusing or halting an individual's embarkation may have something to do with domestic matters - marital status and dependents, being unfit, or perhaps their own or a family member's illness.'

White House Cemetery Ypres Grave Reference: I B 6