B63650 Lance Corporal William Allan Smith was born on 8 Nov 1919 in New Toronto, Ontario, the son of William and Mary Smith. His father may have served with The Queen’s Own Rifles for 32 years. L/Cpl Smith had two sisters and left school at 18 after attending Leslie Street School and having completed 4 years at Eastern High School of Commerce. He had a half-brother who was killed while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force over Berlin in 1941

Smith had joined The Queen’s Own Rifles militia in January 1937 and was working as a messenger at the City Hall branch of the Dominion Bank when he enlisted in the active service battalion on 12 June 1940.

He served in Newfoundland with “W” Force, trained in Sussex, New Brunswick, and then landed in Scotland with the Regiment on 29 July 1941. He trained as a clerk and was appointed Lance Corporal on 23 December 1942. On 23 June 1943, he was given permission to marry Miss Mary Collins of Wrexham, Wales but not before 24 August 1943, however, his service record indicates this was later cancelled. It’s not clear if this was the permission or the request but either way, no marriage seems to have taken place.

Rifleman Smith landed on Juno Beach with D Company on D-Day, 6 June 1944. However, he was killed in action during the battle for the village of Le Mesnil Patry on 11 June 1944, aged 25.

He is buried in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference III. C. 7.