Herbert Smith was born in Evesham and in 1911 was a boarder in North Street, Bengeworth, and working in a jam factory. His future wife, Elizabeth Ann Bayliss, was lodging at the same address. The couple had six children, the first two in 1911 and 1914 and the rest after the War. This gap suggested that he was away from home, probably on service, but tracing a record for a man with a common surname made this hard to confirm. However, a notice in the Evesham Journal of 20th September 1957, of Herbert Smith’s funeral, stated that he had served in Salonika and Greece in the First World War.
On 1st May 1925, Herbert and Elizabeth Smith had four children baptised in Wickhamford, the youngest having been born in the village. Herbert’s occupation was as a market gardener. The 1924 Electoral Roll places the family as living on Pitchers Hill but no house number was recorded. By 1939, the family was living at 1 Shor Street, Evesham and two more children had been born by then. He was still working as a market gardener. Just before his death he had been working for Messrs T. W. Beach & Sons Ltd, jam manufacturers, so he had returned to the work he had been doing in 1911.
It has not been possible, due to lack of surviving Army records, to pinpoint in which Regiment Herbert Smith served. Six Privates of this name served in the Worcestershire Regiment (one died in Gallipoli) but only their medal records still exist. The 11th (Service) Battalion of that regiment went to Salonika in November 1915, so that is a possible connection, but he may have been in another Regiment altogether.