BORN HULL 1895. SON OF WILLIAM HENRY & ELIZA SMELT, 26 DENMARK AVENUE, HOLDERNESS ROAD, HULL AND 241 HOLDERNESS ROAD, HULL (WAR PENSION ADDRESS).
JACK WAS EDUCATED AT COURTNEY STREET SCHOOL AND AT THE AGE OF 12 WON A SIX YEAR SCHOLARSHIP TO HYMERS COLLEGE, WITH A BURSARY OF £60. HE BECAME A STUDENT TEACHER AT MERSEY STREET SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR. HE THEN PASSED THE OXFORD ENTRY EXAM AND STUDIED FOR ONE YEAR BEFORE ENLISTING. HE ALSO WON HIS COLOURS AT HULL TRAINING COLLEGE AND WAS A MEMBER OF THEIR FOOTBALL TEAM. HIS FATHER HAD SERVED WITH THE VOLUNTEERS FOR 26 YEARS.
JACK JOINED THE ‘HULL COMMERCIALS’ IN AUGUST 1914. SERVED WITH THE 10TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT IN EGYPT AND FRANCE. HIS PROMISING CAREER ENDED WHEN HE DIED OF HEAD WOUNDS, ON 05/06/1916, AGED 21.
HIS CWGC ADDRESS WAS 126 COLLEGE GROVE, SOUTHCOATES LANE, HULL.
HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPH ON 17TH JUNE 1916. *
