Smith, Philip Seagar

Date of birth:: May 16th, 1921 (Vancouver/British Columbia, Canada)
Date of death:: May 25th, 1944 (Tilburg/North Brabant, The Netherlands)
Buried on:: Commonwealth War Graves General Cemetery Gilzerbaan
Plot: B. Row: 2. Grave: 49.
Service number:: J/88153
Nationality:: Canadian

Biography

Philip was born on May 16 1921 in Vancouver, the son of George Lingen Smith and Anne Smith nee Jones (Welsh) of Vancouver. They were married on December 14 1911 in Vancouver.

His brothers were Lingen Hugh and Richard George Smith and his sister was Patricia Shirley Smith.

He was a service station attendant and member of the Church of England. He spoke English and French and Latin from the high school.

His hobbies were photography and playing the piano and his sports were swimming, tennis and English rugby.

He enlisted on March 10 1942 in Vancouver and he went thereafter on June 4 1943 overseas to the UK.

Philip was killed in action on Thursday May 25 1944 age 23, just nine days after this 23rd birthday due to a crash behind the Kromstraat 2 in Tilburg before or after an attack on Aachen in Germany.

The other fallen RCAF crew members were F/O Gordon R. Lauder age 28 in grave B-2-50 and WO I Donald M. Robson age 20 in grave B-2-47.
The other RCAF crew member P/O William D. Lillico was on May 26 1944 deceased age 23 due to very serious wounds in a hospital in Tilburg and he was temporarily buried there and he was later reburied at the Bergen op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in grave 5-H-1.
The other fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew members were Sgt John Hoarty age 22 in grave B-2-49, Sgt Thomas J.H. Smith age 20 in grave B-2-48 and Sgt Bernard R. Morgan age 19 in grave B-2-51.

On his headstone: ALWAYS REMEMBERED. WE LIVE TO ENJOY THE THINGS FOR WHICH THEY DIED

He served with the 419 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.