life in a derbyshire village

Bernard Ridley Winthrop-Smith Bernard was the only son of Francis Nicholas Smith of Wingfield Park and Constance Ella daughter of the late Rev Benjamin Winthrop of 82 Cromwell Road, London.

He was born on 19th December 1882 at Duffield and was educated at Carters, Farnborough, Eton College (Evans House) and Trinity Colledge, Cambridge where he gained his Degree (B.A.)

In 1905 he was awarded his blue for rowing at number 6 in the Cambridge crew against Oxford in the varsity boat race.

A nephew of Sir Gerald Smith K.C.M.G. a former Lieutenant-Colonel of the Scots Guards Winthrop-Smith was gazetted a 2nd Lieutenant in the regiment on the 1st August 1905. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 14th May 1910.

On the 13th August 1913 he was seconded for service under the Colonial Office and appointed A.D.C. to Sir Harry Belfield K.C.M.G. the Governor and Commander in Chief of the East African Protectorate.

At the outbreak of the war Windthrop-Smith obtained leave from the Colonial Office to rejoin his regiment in France which he did during October 1914.

At this time the 1st Battalion Scots Guards formed part of the 1st (Guards) Brigade as part of the British 1st Division. The Division was one of the first units in France at the outbreak of war. When Winthrop-Smith joined them in October 1914 they were taking part in the "first" battle of Yrpes which lasted from the 14th October to the 30th November 1914. The British casualties for this period were 6,237 of which 281 were officers

On the 8th November 1914 whilst his Regiment was at the front near to Ypres he was given orders to attack and retake a trench on the flank that had been occupied by some German troops after it had been vacated by Zouaves. Leading his platoon over open ground he was struck by a bullet from a shrapnel shell. He sustained a compound fracture to the base of his skull.

He was evacuated that afternoon to the Poperinghe field hospital before being removed on the 11th November to Christol base hospital in Boulogne.

With his parents by his side he never regained consciousness and finally passed away on the 15th November 1914.

On the day of his death he was made up to Captain due to fact that all subalterns both junior and senior to him in the regiment were promoted to that rank.

The book by Colonel A. Clutterbuck Bond of Sacrifice (August-December 1914, a biographical record of British officers who fell in the Great War) describes Captain Smith as an exceptionally fine man, 6' 5" tall and broad in proportion. He was much liked by the men of the right flank company of the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards and by his brother officers.

His body was brought back to England and was buried in the private cemetery at Wingfield Park. Bernard was the only son and heir who was unmarried at the time of his death.

As a lasting memorial to their son his mother and father paid for a memorial in the form of a stained glass window at St Matthews the Parish Church of Pentrich. The window was by Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849-1924)

Source Information

Bond of Sacrifice ISBN: 1843422255 De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour ISBN: 1897632088