Person    | Male  Born 1880  Died 13/6/1917

PC Alfred Smith

War dead non-military, WW1 i

Commemorated on a memorial as being a civilian who was killed in WW1. Includes mercantile marines and emergency services personnel.

PC Alfred Smith

From Islington Tribune: "PC Smith heard the German Gotha G.V aircraft approaching and warned panicking factory workers in Central Street, Finsbury, to stay inside. He died when a bomb exploded a few feet away from him. The 37-year-old had a wife and a three-year-old son. The raid on June 13 killed a total of 162 people."

From Symbols and Secrets: "One press report reads as follows … 'In the case of PC Alfred Smith, a popular member of the Metropolitan Force, who leaves a widow and three children, the deceased was on point duty near a warehouse. When the bombs began to fall the girls from the warehouse ran down into the street. Smith got them back, and stood in the porch to prevent them returning. In doing his duty he thus sacrificed his own life.' Smith had no visible injuries but had been killed by the blast from the bombs dropped nearby. He was one of 162 people killed that day in one of the deadliest raids of the war. His widow ... She received automatically a police pension (£88 1s per annum, with an additional allowance of £6 12s per annum for her son) but also had her MP, Allen Baker, working on her behalf. He approached the directors of Debenhams (whose staff PC Smith had saved) and solicited from them a donation of £100 guineas (£105). A further fund, chaired by Baker, raised almost £472 and some of this was used to pay for the Watts Memorial tablet...". This information comes from the 2008 book: John Price: Heroes of Postman’s Park from where we have reproduced an image portraying the event.

He was buried in Section DO3, Grave 128344 in Abney Park Cemetery, 215 Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 0LH.

Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
PC Alfred Smith

Commemorated ati

PC Alfred Smith plaque

PC Alfred Smith, 1880 - 1917, was killed at this site saving factory workers ...

Read More

PP - 2A - Smith

This is a lovely plaque but the fireman's helmet on a plaque for a police con...

Read More

Other Subjects

A. H. Parsons

A. H. Parsons

Either lost his life, or gave distinguished service to the London Fire Brigade, and was buried in the Highgate Cemetery plot between 1884 and 1955.

Person, Emergency Services

1 memorial
S. B. Piers

S. B. Piers

District Officer in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1891-1936. Officer in the Order of St John.

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Auxiliary Firewoman Violet Irene Pengelly

Auxiliary Firewoman Violet Irene Pengelly

Firewoman with the Auxiliary Fire Service. Killed during an air-raid at Cubitt Town School which was being used as an emergency depot. She was aged 19. Violet Irene Pengelly was born on 4 January ...

Person, Emergency Services

War dead non-military, WW2
2 memorials
Chaplain 4th Class, The Reverend Cyril Bernard Wilson Buck, M.C., B.A.

Chaplain 4th Class, The Reverend Cyril Bernard Wilson Buck, M.C., B.A.

Cyril Bernard Wilson Buck was born on 1 June 1880 in West Ham, Essex (now Greater London), the youngest of the ten children of William Richard Buck (1837-1927) and Alice Emmeline Buck née Wilson (1...

Person, Armed Forces, Emergency Services, Religion, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
A.LFm. A. H. Watkins

A.LFm. A. H. Watkins

Firefighter who died as a result of a fire at Shipton Road School.

Person, Emergency Services

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Improved Industrial Dwellings Co Ltd
3 memorials
A. Drury

A. Drury

Added to the Teddington memorial in the second group for 1916.

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Mickie Most

Mickie Most

Singer and record producer. Born Aldershot as Michael Hayes. Worked as a singing waiter at the 2i's coffee bar. As a producer he discovered the Animals and also worked with Herman's Hermits and ...

Person, Music / songs

1 memorial
W. Blake

W. Blake

Parishioner of St John Horsleydown killed in WW1.

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Mr & Mrs Paul Crosfield

Mr & Mrs Paul Crosfield

Our picture shows Paul Crosfield as a young boy at the Highgate tennis fete in 1931. We think it highly likely that Paul is son of Sir Arthur but can't prove it.   2016: Via Facebook William Tell ...

Group, Benefactor, Greece

1 memorial