Geoffrey Ewing Orton-Smith, born on the 3rd May 1892, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1904. He was the only child of Annie and Hugh, an assessor of insurance claims. They lived at 125, Lordswood Road, Harborne.
Geoffrey attended King Edward’s School for just over a year and, although his general activities remain unrecorded, he was a strong linguist, placing second in his class in French. On leaving School, he worked as a quantity surveyor’s apprentice.
In 1914, Geoffrey enlisted in the 6th Royal Warwickshire Regiment Territorial Force as a private soldier and by October 1915 had gained a commission as a Second Lieutenant rising to Lieutenant before his death. He was reported missing on March 1st 1917, aged twenty-four. There is some confusion surrounding his disappearance and the location of his subsequent death with different sources citing that his wounds were obtained in France, Belgium or Germany. Evidence suggests that he was captured by German forces and died as a prisoner. His body is not known to have been recovered but he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France. Probate records confirm that Geoffrey’s estate of £162 was left to his father, Hugh.