October 23-31, 1915
Tom's diary is a day-to-day record of Tom Smith's life aboard a troop ship which carried 3,000 soldiers from Halifax to Plymouth England, October 23-31st, 1915. It was written on lined note paper and was sent as a letter to his mother. To ensure its preservation, his mother fastened the tops of the pages together using a needle and a thread.
Tom Smith, born April 15, 1895 at Dorchester, Ontario, was one of eight children born to Aaron Smith and his wife the former Mercy Anne Hogle of Petworth (north of Kingston, Ontario). As a young lad Tom moved to Moose Jaw Saskatchewan with his parents. He and his brother Frank answered the "call to arms" during World War I.
Family stories record that Tom and Frank were both injured at Vimy Ridge and Tom was returned to action after convalescence in England. Tom transferred to the 16th Bn. (Manitoba Regt.) and was killed in action on September 2, 1916 during the storming by the Canadian Crops of the Drocourt-Queant Line. Frank returned home safely, but shrapnel wounds to his legs, and seared lungs from the Germans' deadly gas curtailed his activities somewhat.
Pte. Tom Smith is buried in DOMINION CEMETERY which is a mile and a half north-east of the village of Hendecourt-Les-Cagnicourt, France. This village lies east of Arras and 2 1/2 miles south of the Arras-Cambrai main road. During the summer of 1976, while visiting her daughter Susan in Lahr, Germany, Gwen Smith, wife of Tom's nephew Crawford, accompanied by her grandson Peter and Susan, visited Vimy Ridge and Tom's grave in Dominion Cemetery. The two sites were photographed, flowers were placed on the grave and three generations of the Smith family paid tribute to one who had gone before.
Upton Wood cemetery is about a mile across the fields from Dominion cemetery and burials began here after the storming of the same Line by the 1st Canadian Division, August 30, 1918.
Dominion Cemetery contains the graves of 212 soldiers and one airman from Canada and 17 soldiers (mainly of the Royal Artillery) from the United Kingdom. The un-named graves are five in number, and a special memorial is erected to a Canadian soldier believed to be buried among them. The cemetery is comprised of 978 square yards and is enclosed by a flint and rubble wall and planted with thorn trees. The vault, built into the wall contains a book in which visitors may record their names. It also contains a book which lists the names of each soldier buried there. Maps provide guidance as to the location of each grave.
In all cases, the relatives had been asked to furnish the personal information they wished to appear in the register and on the stones. Many inscriptions are flowery; some are simple. Tom Smith's mother had been raised in the Quaker faith. His grave has no added inscription--just his name, number, date of death and the name of the regiment to which he belonged.
426604, Pte. T. Smith
16th Bn. Manitoba Regt.
September 2, 1918.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
[Gwen Smith]
Monday, October 23, 1915
Left Halifax 4:45 p.m. Weather fine, everything is lovely on board. There are four of us in a berth, two bunks one above the other on either side. Blankets are furnished and a spring bed and mattress. The food is all right. There are about three thousand on board crew and all about 700 of a crew. Two Batt. 44 & 46. We lost sight of land about 7:30 & all we can see now is water and gulls. They say we can see 21 miles from the boat. The roll of the boat felt a little odd at first but all right now if it does not get any worse I think I will be o.k. Travelled about four hundred miles nice sea all the way a little rough towards evening but fine. P.M. parades saw the lights of a ship about 9 P.M.
Sunday, October 24, 1915
The sea is a little rough but not bad yet. Had Church parade but I didn't attend. Very few did. I am feeling fine yet & am eating like a horse, hungry all the time. We do not get tea for dinner just the same as it is in England. They want to change our money on board but they want to give us only three shilling & six-pence for a dollar instead of four & two or 84c that is a little too much like a donation so I think I will keep mine until I get to England where we can get full value. We got tickets for mess tables and each one has to keep their own table at the first or second setting mine is first setting (night). The sea is quite rough & the ship is rolling quite bad, but I am feeling pretty good. We saw a ship about noon, we get war news every day by wireless it is posted upon a board.
Monday, October 25, 1915
The finest sea yet and nice warm breeze blowing. We had physical drill this morning & medical inspection this afternoon. We say a bunch of porpoise today noon they are about two & a half feet long & narrow across the back but thick through the other day they had a great time in the water jumping and diving they travel almost as fast as the boat. This afternoon we saw a lot of Dolphins I think they call them. They are big ones and I do not know how large they are but they looked to be about eight or ten feet they are black. The first one that was seen every one said "there is a whale" but we soon saw the difference as there were quite a lot of them and they didn't spout, we have not seen a whale yet. We are well out in the ocean now. I guess about a thousand miles almost that any way the sea is a little rougher tonight & the sky looks like a storm but I guess we can stand a storm as we have had excellent sailing so far we will be in the danger zone in a day or so so then we will have a convoy. They have put the boats over the sides ready in case anything should happen. I hear that in New York they said that Germans say that this boat will never reach England again, she has been chased three or four times all ready but is too fast for them, it would certainly be a great haul for them three thousand men and her cargo consists of ammunition and rifles but I guess she will be guarded pretty closely.
Tuesday, October 26, 1915
Well we got through the night all right it rained quite a bit and today there is a heavy mist on and we cannot see very far the sea is a little rough but not very bad it is very warm was quite hot last night in the bunks. They say we must be quite a way South but no one knows where we are except that we are away out in the pond somewhere. We had drill again today and I guess will have every day now. It is just to keep us upon deck while they inspect the boat in the morning and to give the crew a chance to clean up in the afternoon. We are not allowed down until eleven thirty a.m. and 5 p.m. we have no fatigue to do but have guards. George was on guard yesterday. I have not hit it yet and hope I do not as it is not a very pleasant thing. I did not see anything today except water. They have mounted two machine guns and were doing a little shooting today. I am still feeling fine and had a good night.
Wednesday, October 27, 1915
It was a fine morning but kept getting rough all day and tonight it is pretty bad a lot worse than any time yet. The water has been coming up over the deck quite a bit & say I never thought that the water every piled up like it does & I guess it piles up worse that is doing now at least they say it does any way & I guess it does. We came 389 miles from yesterday noon until today noon the day before 380 & day before that 383 also the day before that 385 we have come 1,537 miles up to today noon & not counting the first day from 5 a.m. until noon, so I guess we have come 1,700 miles by tonight so you see we have not made bad time at all. I guess if everything goes all right we will be in Port Sat. some time. It is a little cooler today but clear. I am still feeling fine. We certainly had a rough night rolling from one side of the bunk to the other so didn't sleep any too well.
Thursday, October 28, 1915
The sea is still rough & the boat is doing some awful rolling. It does not pitch very much though, but is a little top heavy & quite narrow to it certainly can roll. The water has been coming over the deck all day, they have strung rope about six feet inside the rail all around the boat & will not let us any farther that the rope. It has been quite squallie & a cold wind blowing all day. We only made 343 miles today so you see the rough sea makes a little difference in the speed. I have had a bad head ache all day. I guess it is from the rolling of the boat I think if I had been sick it would have been better for me at least I would have felt a lot better afterwards. We didn't do my parading on account of the roughness about all we do at any time is to go to our parade deck & sit around. We had a pretty rough night last night the boat rolled quite a lot.
Friday, October 29, 1915
The sea is a little smoother today but the boat rolled quite bad we only came 323 miles today on account of the sea & another thing we are in quite a dangerous place and they are going very careful they travel like this /\/\/\/ that is in case of a submarine & not seeing it as they have to be broad side for the torpedoes to have an accurate effect & this motion would keep them moving. They say we entered the English Channel at 2 p.m. but I have not seen any land yet or any lights but I guess we were too far away. Our escort met us about 7 tonight two in front and two behind they certainly can travel they go 40 miles an hour so they do not loose much time. I guess we will be in port some time tonight at least they are making preparation to disembark in the morning. We got payed $10 today they kept it from us last pay day in camp. Well I am fine. I hear it was reported that the Lapland was struck shortly after it left Halifax but she is still floating. Oh I forgot to tell you that yesterday when the officer came around at dinner to see if there were any complaints the boat took an awful roll and upset a pail of soup all over him dishes & everything took quite a slide. There is an awful lot of dishes broken on board. Another time when the boat rolled dishes and pales can sliding down the alley in front of our door & made an awful noise sometimes a great pile of plates will fall on the concrete floor & make an awful crash. Rocked in the cradle of the deep I lay me down in peace so good night. We have to get up at five in the morning.
Saturday, October 30, 1915
We got up at 5 a.m. & were just coming into Port Plymouth but did not land until about one p.m. they took us off in ferry boats & we were the last to land. We landed at Devonport the two towns are right close together a river or inlet between them. We came off the boat and went right on the train & such a train the oddest thing you ever saw. The coaches are narrow & all divided into compartments that holds eight & no one can come through, the only way one can get in is by a side door on either side there are no end doors & no steps to the doors. The platform comes right up to the doors, the engines are very odd. I do not know how to describe them so guess I will not try but will that to your imagination but I do not suppose you can imagine them as they are. The towns are very odd such narrow streets & the houses al the same & say such street cards little short things with two decks and lots of people wetting up on top in the open. Well we got started away in the train & talk about cheering every body was out but mostly all of them were women & children. We came to a town called Ester & a bag for each man was thrown into the compartments & we took our water bottles and got hot tea. The bag had a ham sandwich & two apples & it certainly went fine aw we were hungry. We landed at Liphook about 12:30 & had about three miles to march but we left our fit bags there to be brought out by transport so that made it a little lighter. We got to camp a little after one & were put in huts that hold about 40 they are lit with electricity. We have little bunks about six inches off the floor & mattresses of straw so we are not too bad. We had a lunch of sandwiches & tea when we landed so didn't get to bed until two.
Sunday, October 31, 1915
Got up at 7:30 & found it raining quite hard had breakfast of porridge bread & butter jam & tea not too bad for the first morning. This is certainly a nice country the scenery is very pretty. The camp is not too bad I have not seen much of it yet so really do not know just what it is like. The main ways are paved & the rest is clay but it is hard & does not stick or pick up. I do not know the name of the Camp but were are only a few miles from Aldershot camp we came through Salisbury on our way here. Well I found out the name of the camp is Bramshott. It is still raining & I guess will do so most of the time. As the mail goes Tuesday I will cut this short. Hoping you are all well as I am, I remain your loving son
426604 Pte. T. Smith
"C" Co. 46 Batt. C.E.F.
Bramshott Camp,
Hants, Eng.
Note: I have attempted to transcribe this diary, making a few changes as possible to the sentence structure and spelling.
Gwen Smith.
[During keyboarding for digitization, a few changes were made to spelling. Now the reader won't know who to blame: the digitizer, Gwen Smith, or Pte. Smith! Digitized from a typewritten transcription on paper dropped off at LCol D.V. Currie VC Armoury, Moose Jaw, January, 2026.- GCS/gs 15Jan2026]