Pte Charles Harold Smith 17/155 North'd Fusiliers

[SteveMarsdin]

Good afternoon All,

I work as a financial adviser at a local estage agents and auctioneers; occasionally I help out when they do house clearances for their regular collective and general sales. It is completely different from my "normal" job and can be very interesting. We were clearing a house yesterday at the request of the family (two elderly sisters had moved into a nursing home) and I came across a small box of medals and photos. Normally when we advise the family of what we have found they rightly ask to keep these but in this case (for understandable private reasons) they did not and have asked that they be sold.

I am well aware of the Forum's advertising rules and this post isn't intended as an advert; I am genuinely interested in finding out more about the recipient. I am a member of Ancestry and have a copy of his MIC which confirms his entitlement but I am struggling to find anything else about him. I have also looked at the LLT.

The soldier was Pte Charles Harold Smith, Northumberland Fusiliers, 17/155 and I think he was from Hull. The Medal trio includes the 1915 Star and the MIC shows a qualifying date of 20/11/1915.

I am unable to get to the National Archives, does anyone know anything else about his military service ? Is there anything significant in his number 17/155 ?

There are 3 photos of a soldier in a Northumberland Fusiliers uniform (the cap badge looks like theirs anyway !), one includes a board dated France 1916; I am certain that 2 are the same man and probably the third also (2 are clean-shaven, the third has a moustache). The photos were found with the medals so although I can't authenticate it I assume that they are of the medals' owner.

Can anyone help me ?

[Graham Stewart]

17/155 Pte Charles Harold Smith was indeed a resident of Hull, Yorks and enlisted on the 15th September 1914 and served with 'B' Company, 17th(Service)Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers(N.E.R. Pioneers). He is recorded as having been wounded in March 1918, but survived the War and was eventually transferred to Class 'Z' of the Army Reserve.

He worked for the North Eastern Railways & worked at the N.E.R. Locomotive Dept, "BOTANIC GARDENS". As for where that is I'm afraid I'm in total ignorance, but someone from Hull may know.