6423 Private James Smith VC
Born James Alexander Glenn on 5 January 1881 in the parish of St. Michael’s, Workington, Cumberland. On the 4th January 1900 he enlisted at Carlisle into the 3rd Militia Battalion under the name James Smith aged 18 . He was discharged on the 3rd January 1906 having completed his term of service and then re-enlisted on 12th March 1906, being discharged on 11th March 1910. He re-enlisted at the outbreak of the War and re-joined 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion in August 1914 having been called up from Middlesbrough.
Posted overseas with a draft of reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion on 25th November 1914 , he joined Battalion on the front line on 2ndDecember 1914.
On 21 December 1914 at Rouges Bancs, France, Smith and Abraham Acton, voluntarily went out from their trench and rescued a wounded man who had been lying exposed against the enemy’s trenches for 15 hours. On the same day they again left their trench under heavy fire to bring in another wounded man. They were under fire for 60 minutes whilst conveying the wounded men to safety. For this action they were awarded the VC which was presented by King George V on 22 April 1915.
