HOWARD
GEORGE SMITH, b. May 7, 1924 Redford, MI d. Dec 5, 1944 Killed in Action
France
Pfc 36590680 Army 397th
Inf Reg 100th Inf Div
Buried Grand Lawn Cemetery, Detroit
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| Smith House Grand River Ave. |
Parents: George Volney 1886-1970 & Pearl May
(Houghton) 1889-1984
Siblings: Mildred V. 1915-1930, Helen, Dorothy
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| Howard - Center Back Row 1940 |
Howard descended from some of Redford’s most prominent
families. They include early settlers of the township. His grandfather, Volney
Smith, was born in England; with his new bride Josephine he settled on a farm
at the corner of Grand River and Beech in 1880. In 1901 he built the big new house on the farm
where Howard lived. Volney’s wife Josephine died in 1957 just 10 days short of
her 100th birthday. George married Pearl May, daughter of Thomas C.
Houghton, a local banker. He was shot 1918 in a failed robbery attempt at his
bank and died of the bullet wound. Her siblings married into other old time
Redford families. Pearl’s mother was Eliza Besancon, part of the Alsace/Swiss population
that lived in the eastern part of the township. All are families that figured
prominently in the life and history of the township.
Graduation was in 1942 same year he registered for
the draft. He was a University of Michigan student at the time, 6’ blue eyes,
brown hair at 155 lbs.
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| 397th Raon L"Etape, Nov 1944 |
The 100th Division entered combat in
mid-November in the Vosges Mts. In NE France.Dec. 1944 snow fell lightly,
giving a peaceful somewhat Christmas like feel to the trees and hills. But the
Alsace front was anything but quiet as the 100th Infantry Div went
on the offensive near Bitche, France in the beginning of Dec. there is an
account of a Howard Smith who was replaced a Browning Automatic Rifle man, John
Quinn in A company, who was wounded. The average combat lifespan of a WWII BAR
man was said to be 30 minutes.
Howard is buried with his parents in Grand Lawn
Cemetery. The Houghton’s also have
a family plot not far away.
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