Geoffrey Bache Smith (1894 - 1916)

Lieutenant Geoffrey Bache Smith (October 18th, 1894 - December 3rd, 1916) was a friend of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien and Smith attended King Edward's School in Birmingham together. Smith joined the 19th Service Battalion of the Lancashire Fusilliers, the "3rd Salford Pals", and participated in the Battle of the Somme. He was hit by shrapnel on November 29, 1916, and died four days later. In 1918, a collection of poetry by Smith, titled A Spring Harvest, was published. Tolkien wrote the preface.