Private
Smith, Alexander Daniel
Unit
4th Canadian Mounted Rifles
Branch
Service Component
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Service Number
678921
birth
1896/05/11
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
death
1917/04/11
Vimy, France
grave
La Chaudière Military Cemetery, Vimy, France
Gender
Male
Alexander Daniel Smith was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 11 May 1896.
A waiter, Smith enlisted in the 169th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in his hometown on 9 February 1916. He was later transferred to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles (4 CMR).
Little else is known about Smith’s service, other than that he was killed in action on 11 April 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. According to the 4 CMR’s war diary, that day, the battalion suffered severe casualties (8 killed and 20 wounded) when its front line trenches were shelled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Relieved in the evening by companies from the 52nd and 60th battalions, the 4 CMR had considerable trouble getting to the rear due to a snowstorm, the broken condition of the ground, and the sheer exhaustion of the men, who had been in an active combat zone for over 65 hours.
Alexander Daniel Smith is buried in La Chaudière Military Cemetery, Vimy, France.
