Smith, Cecil Lester

Cecil Lester Smith was born in Nappan, Nova Scotia, on 6 June 1890. He was the son of Sidney J. and Frances M. Smith, of Nappan Station, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

A farmer, Smith enlisted in the 40th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia) in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on 18 August 1915. He sailed to England with his unit on 18 October 1915. Upon arrival on 25 October 1915, the battalion was sent to Shorncliffe, Kent, where it was used to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field.

On 3 November 1915, Smith was transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion for further training before being sent to France. He stayed with that unit until early February 1916, when he was shipped to France to join the 25th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles).

Smith was killed in action on 13 July 1916 while serving in the trenches near Dickebusch (Dikkebus), Belgium. The war diary of the 25th Battalion states that, the day Smith died, the battalion’s position was subjected to considerable machine gun and rifle fire from the opposing German trenches, and German snipers were very active.

Cecil Lester Smith is buried in Dickebusch New Military Cemetery, in Belgium.