John MacDonald Smith was born on 20th May 1890 in Stornoway, where his father Kenneth, was a Minister. John planned to follow in his fathers footsteps but events were to intervene. His career began well. He matriculated in the Faculty of Arts in the autumn of 1909 to study Latin and Geology, and he found a place to live during term time in the Students residence at 11 Wilson Street, Hillhead.

At the end of his first year, he passed his exams and gained a merit certificate in Geology. The following year he took Greek, Logic and English, and went on to take Moral Philosophy and Higher English in third year, History, Economics and Philosophy in his final year. It was very much the kind of curriculum that bridged Arts and Divinity, and he graduated MA on 22nd November 1913.

To date, his path was almost identical to his classmate, James Archibald Montgomery Miller. There was also a Rothesay connection. At this time the Smith family residence was at Clan Villa, Rothesay and the families may well have known each other before University or at school.

In addition to meeting in a number of classes, they were both members of the OTC and both became students of Divinity. Both enlisted in fighting units and both were sent to the Western Front.

Sadly, the parallel went further. 2nd Lieutenant Smith was also killed in action. He died on 12th May 1916 at Loos, also aged 25, though just a few days short of his twenty-sixth birthday. His father was a Minister at Greenock Free Gaelic Church

Newspaper Clippings relating to John McDonald Smith

John McDonald Smith