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Saving Private Smith: The Tragic Story Of The Smith Brothers
It's a tale with similarities to the blockbuster 'Saving Private Ryan' - only the tragedy of the Smith brothers is real.
The story of the Smith family is moving. Five of the six boys were killed in action during the First World War.
The sixth, Wilfred, was called back from the front after the local vicar’s wife wrote a letter to Queen Mary.
Thanks to her, one son survived World War One, and now his descendants have been remembering the family's sacrifice.
Today, schoolchildren are taking part in a service to remember them, with a song composed especially for the occasion by music teacher Chris Clayton, who said of the tale:
"It almost broke my heart that a mother would lose five of her six sons. I wrote a poem, which in three hours became a song."
Following the performance, attendees were led down to the memorial stone that bears the names of the five young men who lost their lives in the War.
Amongst them are Wilfred's grandchildren, one of whom still holds the 100-year-old death penny sent on the death of the first son, his namesake Robert.
It’s not hard to imagine that, for the family’s descendants, the song was particularly moving. Robert said that on hearing it:
"The hairs on the back of my neck stood up."
Another of the grandchildren reflected that:
"If it wasn’t for the Vicar’s wife, none of us would be here."
A studio recording has been made of ‘The Boys from the Poor House Yard’, featuring a choir of 106 children - a symbolic number, with 100 representing the centenary and six the Smith sons themselves.
The proceeds from downloads will go to the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes, keeping the memory of the six brothers alive 100 years on.
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