28294 Sergeant Major J.C.M. Smallwood, R.E.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, BSAE, P.E., MinstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(January 2026)

Figure 1. 28294 Warrant Officer Class 1 James Bruce McFarlane Smallwood, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

The Smallwood family, like so many other families in the U.K. during the Great War of 1914-1918, provided more than one son to fight for King and Country. In addition to James, one of his brothers served in the Canadian Engineers. A second brother attempted to enlist in the Australian Imperial Forces but was rejected for service. During World War 2 this brother lied about his age and was successful in enlisting in the Australian Military Forces Militia.[1]

James Smallwood was born in London in April 1876. He was the second son of Alfred Smallwood (1849-1928) and Ellen (Helen) Bruce Smallwood, née McFarlane (1851-1935). The Smallwood had three other sons: George Smallwood (1875-1956), Alexander Bruce Smallwood (1883-1968) who was born in St. Mary Cray, Kent and Walter Bruce Smallwood (1884-1974), also born in St. Mary Cray.

The composition of the Smallwood family in 1881 was as shown in the table below.

In 1901 the Smallwood family was living in Orpington, Kent as show in the census table below.

Sons George and Alexander no longer appear in the census. By 1901 George was married and living in Middlesex and Alexander [Alfred] was living as a Boarder in Essex. Oddly, James was already in the Army but is shown as living with his family at the time of the 1901 Census. He was probably just home on leave.

James Smallwood enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 2 July 1894, probably soon after his 18^th birthday. He was assigned regimental number 28294. He enlisted for 7 years Army Service and 5 years Reserve Service. His attestation paper indicates that he was not married, was a Plumber by trade and was not an Apprentice. He indicated that he had never been sentenced to imprisonment by Civil Power and that he had prior military service in the 1^st Middlesex Royal Engineers (Volunteers).[2] His description on enlistment is shown in the table below.

On the date of his enlistment James Smallwood had been given a medical examination in London and was found to be fit for Army service. He was also given a Primary Military Examination and was found fit for service in the Royal Engineers. His attestation was approved on 6 July 1884 in London by a Colonel, the Assistant Adjutant General for Recruiting.

On 13 January 1895 Smallwood was posted to the School of Military Engineering (SME) at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, Kent for his recruit training.

With the exception of Drivers, every recruit enlisted for the Royal Engineers had to have a trade. Pioneers and Sappers were sent to Chatham where they were trained in infantry drill and pioneer duties. The engineer recruits also received musketry training. When the course of training was completed the recruits had to pass an examination and were then transferred to engineer formations, where they received higher pay and could earn extra allowances by working at their special trades. Upon completion of his training, Sapper Smallwood was posted to the 26^th Field Company, Royal Engineers in Ireland.

The 26^th Field Company had arrived in Ireland from Aldershot in November 1894. While serving with this company Smallwood was awarded a Second Class Certificate of Education on 28 March 1895.[3] On 2 November 1896 he was qualified as a “Skilled” Plumber by the Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) of the Curragh Camp and on 17 June 1897 he was awarded Good Conduct Pay at 1d.[4]

On 5 May 1898 Sapper Smallwood was posted to Gibraltar where he joined either the 15^th or the 32^nd Fortress Company, both of which were serving at Gibraltar at that time. The role of a fortress company was to assist in the defence of ports and harbours that had significant military importance, which Gibraltar certainly had. This was accomplished by the use of submarine mines and searchlights and by supporting the Royal Artillery garrison co-located with the fortress company.

A Royal Engineers fortress company typical would provide the following services in defence of ports and harbours:

During his time at Gibraltar, Smallwood became proficient in duties associated with electric lighting and the firing of submarine mines for port and harbour defense. On 14 December 1898 he qualified as a “Superior” electrician and was awarded Trade Pay at the rate of 3d.

As a conflict was brewing with the Boers in South Africa, the Royal Engineers were tasked to send units there to support the infantry, cavalry, artillery and other formations. Sapper Smallwood was posted to the 6^th Company, which also was serving at Gibraltar when he was there. The 6^th Company had been at Gibraltar since October 1887 as a fortress company. The company departed Gibraltar for South Africa aboard S.S. Montfort on 11 November 1899[5]. Based on his service papers it appears that Smallwood did not depart Gibraltar for South Africa until 17 November. For some reason he remained behind with a rear detachment, possibly to assist with loading the company’s equipment.

The 6^th Company was commanded by Major H. Broke, R.E. and was posted to serve with Corps troops in the Orange Free State on lines of communications in support of railway construction and maintenance. On 2 July 1900 Smallwood was awarded Good Conduct Pay at 2d. He moved with the company to Venterstad on 10 October 1900 and then to Hoopstad on 20 October 1900. On 8 February 1901 he was invalided to England for reasons not indicated in his service record, but he did not actually leave South Africa until 9 March 1901. For his service in South Africa he received the Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps [CAPE COLONY] and [SOUTH AFRICA 1901].[6]

Upon his return home Sapper Smallwood took up residence in Orpington, Kent.[7] On 27 July 1901 he was appointed a Lance Corporal and on the following day he extended his service to complete 18 years with the Colours.

At some point in 1902 he was transferred to the Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.) and was qualified as a “Superior” Military Foreman of Works. On 12 December 1902 he was promoted to the rank of Foreman of Works Staff Sergeant within the E.E.S. This remarkable acceleration from the rank of Lance Corporal on the Regimental List to Foreman of Works Staff Sergeant on the E.E.S. List is not explained in his service papers. Perhaps at the time the E.E.S. was in need of qualified non-commissioned officers and Smallwood’s rating as a “Superior” Military Foreman of Works may explain how his occurred.

The term Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.) or Royal Engineer Works Service had been used for a number of years in the 20^th century to describe the duties of the Royal Engineers in connection with building construction and the use of materials. This establishment dealt with the construction of fortifications, but by and large its greatest responsibility was in the area of the construction and maintenance of barracks. Other works undertaken by the Establishment included hospitals and Army Ordnance buildings. With regard to the latter, the work included not only the buildings themselves, but also the provision and maintenance of fixed machinery and the construction and maintenance of magazines and buildings for the storage of explosives, with special attention to precautions against fire and protection against lightning.

The E.E.S. was also involved with other buildings in support of the Army Service Corps, to include bakeries, stores, transport sheds and workshops. Special facilities such as refrigeration plants were also provided at Gibraltar and Malta and at other tropical locations. Many other buildings, such as churches, schools, offices, quarters for Commanding Officers and certain Staff Officers, were also provided by the E.E.S. Other essential services of the Establishment included the charge of military cemeteries and burial grounds, the preparation of graves and the appointment and supervision of caretakers.

In connection with all of the above works, there was an organization within the E.E.S. responsible for the control of "Military Lands." This term included the land on which the barracks and fortifications were constructed, along with roads, parades and recreation grounds. Closely allied to the control of "Military Lands" was the provision of rifle and artillery ranges.

One of the special branches within the E.E.S. included the Electrical Branch which consisted of Defence Electric Lights, Telegraphs, Telephones, and Miscellaneous Electrical Services. The largest sub-element of the Electrical Branch was the Submarine Mining Service, which was responsible for the mine defences and also for the defence electric lights and electrical communications in the defended ports throughout the British Empire. Other miscellaneous electrical services included barracks lighting and protection of building against lightning.

A second special branch of the E.E.S. was the Mechanical Branch, with its responsibility for installation and maintenance of engines, boilers and machinery used with pumping and heating plant, and machinery used in Royal Engineer and Ordnance workshops. Other special branches of the Establishment were the Mechanical Transport Branch and the Railway Branch.

On 2 September 1903 Foreman of Works Staff Sergeant Smallwood married Agnes Amy Tumber (1882-1921) in Strood, Kent. James and Agnes had six children: Sidney James (1904-1978),[8] Lilian (Lily) Grace (1905-1979), Agnes Helen (1908-1973), Robert (1910-1994), Evelyn Jessie (1911-1981) and Doris (1916-1993). The children in the photograph below are Sidney, Lilian, Grace and Agnes.

Smallwood was granted Service Pay, Class 1 at 7d, the highest rate of such pay, on 1 April 1904 by the Commander Royal Engineers at Newcastle-on-Tyne.[9] It may be that he was serving at Newcastle ever since returning from South Africa. On 12 October 1904 he was posted to Jamaica.

At the time of Smallwood’s posting to Jamaica there were two companies stationed there, the West India Submarine Mining Company and the West India Fortress Company. He may have been posted to one of these companies or to a position under the CRE Jamaica at Fort Charles. His wife and children were with him there, as his daughter Lilian was born in Port Royal, Jamaica on 2 October 1905.

He performed his E.E.S. duties in Jamaica until 23 January 1907 when he was posted back to Newcastle-on-Tyne.

When Smallwood and his family returned to Newcastle-on-Tyne they took up residence at 58 Ancrum Street. On 10 January 1908 Smallwood joined the Masonic Order at Eldon Lodge in Newcastle. He was stationed with the CRE Newcastle to perform his E.E.S. duties and on 31 December 1908 he was promoted to Foreman of Works Quartermaster Sergeant (Warrant Officer Class II). He remained at Newcastle until about April 1911 when he was posted to Sierra Leone.

When Smallwood arrived in Sierra Leone he was posted to Tower Hill in Freetown where he worked for Brevet Colonel A.W.G. Graham, D.S.O. He found that almost all the R.E. work was in and around Freetown but there were three stations in the Protectorate, namely Port Lokko, about 40 miles by launch from Freetown, Mabanta 23 miles north of Port Lokko, and Wankifu 18 miles north of Mabanta.

Taking a look at the topography Smallwood noted that Freetown, the chief town of the Colony, was surrounded by a semicircle of hills, the remains of the crater of an extinct volcano having a diameter of about 4 or 5 miles with Freetown as its centre. Tower Hill was a conical hill nearly 400 feet high, clear of bush and about 3½ miles east of the sea. Mount Aureol was about 1½ miles east of Tower Hill, 800 feet high, and extended towards Kortright Hill, 1,000 feet high. Wilberforce was 2½ miles southwest of Tower Hill and about 600 feet high.

A light railway ran from Freetown to Wilberforce (Hill Station) but Smallwood found that the trains were infrequent, inconvenient, and slow. Generally, to get to Wilberforce from Mount Aureol one had to descend 700 feet and rise 500 feet in a distance of about 5 miles by road. King Tom was about 1½ miles northwest of Tower Hill on a small cape.

After familiarizing himself with the lay of the land Smallwood next studied the organization of the E.E.S. organization in the Colony. The staff for R.E. Services included:

At Head Quarters a Sergeant Major Foreman of Works, one engineer clerk, two draughtsmen, one storekeeper, one ledgerkeeper, one mechanist machinery, one mechanist electrician, and one mechanist telephonist. There were five foremen of works, distributed as follows: one at Tower Hill, one at Mount Aureol, two at Wilberforce and one at the Protectorate. The two at Wilberforce were necessary because of the distance from Freetown, but one acted as a reserve in the event of sickness among the others. It appears that Smallwood must have filled the Sergeant Major Foreman of Works position as there was no slot for a Foreman of Works Quartermaster Sergeant at that time.

QMS Foreman of Works Smallwood was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (GVR) with gratuity in 1912. He continued his work on the West Coast of Africa until 23 March 1912 when he was posted to Fort Victoria on the Isle of Wight.

His service papers contain two Employment Sheets, one dated 30 December 1913 and the other dated 1 April 1914. Both contain the following notations:

These Employment Sheet notations do verify the fact that he was promoted from Lance Corporal to Foreman of Works Staff Sergeant directly, without going through the ranks of Corporal and Sergeant.

On 15 June 1914 Smallwood re-engaged to complete 21 years of service with the Colours and on 15 September 1914 he was promoted Foreman of Works Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class I) while serving with the 22^nd (Submarine Mining) Company on the Isle of Wight. While he was serving on the Isle of Wight the Great War was already one month old and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was fighting in France and Flanders.

Perhaps prompted by his older brother military service, James Smallwood’s brother, Alexander Bruce Smallwood, enlisted for service in the Canadian Army at Valcartier, Quebec on 23 September 1914. When he emigrated to Canada is not shown in his service papers. He attested as 45207 Sapper in the Canadian Engineers and was called up for service on 18 March 1915. He joined the 1^st Canadian Engineer Reserve Battalion and then was posted to the 3^rd Field Company, C.E. which already was serving in France.

The 3^rd Field Company was organized in Valcartier in September 1914 under the command of Major G. B. Wright. It had sailed for France on 15 October 1914 aboard RMS Arcadian with 15 officers and 299 other ranks. The ship arrived in France on 11 February 1915 and joined the 1^st Canadian Divisional Engineers.

From 22 April to 25 May 1915 the 3^rd Field Company took part in the Ypres campaign and was at Gravenstafel from 22-23 April.[11]

On 3 May 1915 Sapper Alexander Smallwood received a gunshot wound in the right shoulder. During this period (24 April – 4 May 1915) Smallwood’s company was involved in the Battle of St. Julien.[12] He was evacuated to the 3^rd North General Hospital in Sheffield, Yorkshire. On 28 May 1915, after treatment and convalescence at the hospital, Smallwood was discharged to furlough.

On 28 April 1916 Sergeant Major Smallwood extended his service for the duration of the war. His brother, Walter Bruce Smallwood living in Australia, applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force at Prahan, Victoria on 20 May 1916. His application was rejected on 30 May 1916 as he was found medically unfit for service.

Following his furlough, Sapper Smallwood returned to France and on 12 May 1917 he was admitted to No. 2 Australian General Hospital with influenza. He was subsequently sent to Woodcote Park Convalescent Hospital where he remained until 29 June.

Sergeant Major Smallwood’s service papers are not very clear regarding his service during 1917 and 1918. It appears that he returned to Sierra Leone where in January 1918 he complained of feverish attacks and headaches and was diagnosed with malaria. Despite his ill health, on 24 December 1918, the General Officer Commanding Troops in West Africa permitted Smallwood to serve beyond 21 years to complete 30 years of service. In many cases Warrant Officers and Non-commissioned Officers were allowed to continue in the service after 21 years and thus earn a higher pension. Leave for such a continuance of service had to be obtained from higher authorities. Men on such prolonged service could claim their discharge at any time upon three months’ notice.[13]

Sergeant Major Smallwood returned home from Sierra Leone on 26 March 1919 and was posted to “G” Depot Company at Chatham. Before reporting for duty he was granted 154 days of leave for service in West Africa where living conditions obviously took much out of a man. On 19 May 1919, while on leave, he received orders posting him again to the Isle of Wight, this time at Chislehurst. He returned to duty from his extended leave on 27 August 1919.

At this point in Smallwood personal life some rather unusual things occurred. It appears that his marriage to Agnes broke up and that he became involved with another woman by the name of Jessie Maddocks (1887-1964). James and Jessie had a son named William Raymond Groom Maddocks Smallwood (1919-1999) born at Ryde on the Isle of Wight on 30 August 1919. James’s family tree then shows that he married Jessie Maddocks in Birkenhead, Cheshire during the last quarter of 1921. The family tree also shows that James and Jessie had a second child, George Henry Smallwood (1925-2007), born in the first quarter of 1925. Apparently Agnes left James and took all of their children. The family tree shows no entry regarding the death of Agnes, so a divorce may have been the reason for their separation.

On 30 September 1919 James Smallwood applied for a medical examination for an amended disability grade. In November of that year he was admitted to Parkhurst Military Hospital on the Isle of Wight with an attack of malaria and on 26 November he was again posted to Sierra Leone.

Malaria seemed to plague him for the rest of his life. On 2 April 1920 while in Tower Hill Military Hospital in Freetown he made this statement regarding his health and potential disability while performing his duties as Acting Officer in charge of R.E. Stores, Acting Inspector of Works. Military Foreman of Works in Sierra Leone:

“Malarial fever. Contracted on duty travelling in the Protectorate of West Africa (Sierra Leone) during the rainy season 1918. I was several times admitted to hospital in Freetown & finally medically boarded in March 1919 and sent to the United Kingdom for change of climate. Disability was then assessed at 10%. Since arrival in the U.K. I have been admitted to hospital at Parkhurst for a course of treatment. This was in Nov 1919. Since then I have not reported sick but have not felt fit to perform the strenuous work allotted to me which necessitates riding a motorcycle.”

On 19 April 1920 James Smallwood went before a medical board and was awarded 20 percent disability. He was placed in Grade III by the board. On 12 July 1920 he was evaluated by Captain F.H. Ashford, R.E for the Officer Commanding Station Ryde, Isle of Wight. The evaluation read as follows:

“The above Warrant Officer has been employed as a Military Foreman of Works for the last 17½ years. He is a capable Foreman, and very efficient in all branches of the work. He is sober, trustworthy and energetic, and has carried out his duties for the above period to the entire satisfaction of the officers under whom he has served. During the period he has served under me I can fully endorse the above.”

Sergeant Major Smallwood was discharged from the Army at Chatham on 17 July 1920. His service towards his Engagement was 26 years and 16 days. His service towards his Pension was 28 years and 118 days, which included 2 years and 102 days “double time” for service in West Africa. His intended place of residence was 18 Terrace Road in Newport, Isle of Wight.

The 1921 Census of England shows James Smallwood as a Foreman of Works under the Director of Works and Buildings of the Air Ministry. He was stationed at the Works Office at Pulham Airstrip Station in Norfolk.

Figure 8. 18 Terrace Road, Newport, Isle of Wight.
(Image courtesy of Google Earth)

The 1921 Census shows him living with daughters Lilian Grace, Agnes Helen, Evelyn Jessie and Doris. These were all children from his first wife Agnes. The absence of his wife and sons adds further mystery to his marital status as described earlier.

James Bruce McFarland Smallwood died on 13 April 1933 at the age of 57. At the time of his death he was living at 50 Rands Way, Nacton Estate, in Ipswich, Suffolk. He was buried at Old Ipswich Cemetery in Ipswich, Plot H, Row 4, Grave 18.

Probate of James’s Will took place in Ipswich on 24 May 1933. His effects in the amount of £126, 5 shillings and 1 pence (about $19,400 US in 2026 currency) were left to his widow Jessie Smallwood, his second wife. Jessie, his second wife, now appears again although Smallwood had been raising four children from his first wife. His family relationships appear to have been very complicated.

For his service during the Great War of 1914-1918 Sergeant Major Smallwood was awarded the British War Medal and this was the only medal of the war that he received. It is interesting to note that he received this medal although he did not serve in any active theater of the war, although the British did take part in actions against the Germans in West Africa. Smallwood does not appear to have directly involved in any of these actions. He applied to the R.E. Records Office in Chatham for the issue of the medal to which he felt that he was due.[14] He received the medal on 20 June 1922. As previously mentioned, he had received the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1912.

Figure 10. The Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (right) and the British War Medal.
(Image from the author’s collection)

NOTE: The medals in Figure 10 are not those of SGM Smallwood. They are presented here for illustrative purposes only.[15]

Figure 11. The Medal Index Card of SGM James Smallwood, R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Figure 12. Ex-Sergeant Major James Smallwood, R.E., c. 1930.
(Image from a newspaper article)

On 10 January 1939 James’s brother, Walter Bruce Smallwood enlisted in the Australian Military Forces Militia as a Private, Army No. 324232. His attestation form indicates that he was 38 years old when he enlisted with the year of his birth not shown on the form. He was actually 55 years old at the time. On his attestation form Walter indicated that he had served in the 9^th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in 1908. In 1908 he would have been 24 years old. His enlistment in the Australian Militia in 1939 was accepted probably because the physical and medical requirements were much less stringent than they were for active service during the Great War. His record shows that he was posted to the 37^th/39^th Battalion.

Sidney James Smallwood (1904-1978), the son of James Smallwood, served in the Royal Air Force. Although his rank insignia in the photograph below is difficult to see, it appears that he was a Flight Sergeant. In the photograph it appears that he is wearing the ribbon of the British Empire Medal (BEM).

Figure 13. Insignia of an RAF    Figure 14. Flight Sergeant
                        Flight Sergeant             Sidney James Smallwood
(Image courtesy of RAF RANKS)          BEM, RAF
                                                                   (Image courtesy of Ancestr.com)

1. BAKER BROWN, W. The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Volume IV. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1952, pp. 245-262.

2. GRIERSON, J.M. Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War. Greenhill Books, London, 1988, p. 227.

3. KERRY, A.J. & McDILL, W.A. The History of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, 1749-1939. Volume I. The Military Engineers Association of Canada, Ottawa, 1962.

4. SKELLEY, A.R. The Victorian Army At Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899. Mc Gill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977.

1. Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers Journal. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

2. NOTES ON ROYAL ENGINEER WORK AT SIERRA LEONE. The Royal Engineers Journal. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, May 1914, p. 273.

[1] Where specific references are not cited for details provided in this narrative, the reader should

assume that the information came from the service papers of the individual being discussed.

[2] The 1st Middlesex Engineers, raised in 1860, was the senior engineer unit of Britain's Volunteer Force.

[3] A second-class certificate, necessary for promotion to sergeant, entailed writing and dictation from a more difficult work, familiarity with all forms of regimental accounting, and facility with proportions and interest, fractions and averages.

[4] For good conduct, which means, that the soldier has never been punished, he receives further extra pay (Good Conduct Pay). The daily rate amounts to 1d. The recipient wears a badge in the shape of a ^, pointing upwards, on the lower sleeve of the left arm.

[5] Gase, S.

[6] 6^th Company Medal Roll.

[7] 1901 Census of England.

[8] Later Royal Air Force. Service Number: 361742.

[9] Service Pay in addition, to their regular pay, was granted to men in the Royal Engineers who demonstrated proficiency in their military trades. Service Pay was awarded in seven classes, with Class I being the highest.

[10] Royal Engineers Journal, May 1914.

[11] KERRY & McDILL.

[13] GRIERSON, J.M., p. 24.

[14] His Medal Index Card and the R.E. Medal Roll does show that he was entitled to this medal.

[15] The location of his medals is not known.

Address: No. 1 Smiths Cottages, St. Mary Cray, Kent.
Name and Surname	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Profession or Occupation	Birthplace
Alfred Smallwood	Head	Married	31	Labourer	St. Mary Cray, Kent
Helen Smallwood	Wife	Married	29		Glasgow, Scotland
George Smallwood	Son		5	Scholar	St. Pancras, London
James M. Smallwood	Son		4	Scholar	St. Pancras, London
Alfred [Alexander?] Smallwood	Son		2		St. Mary Cray, Kent
Helen Smallwood	Daughter		2 mos		St. Mary Cray, Kent

Address: No. 6 Broad River, Orpington, Kent
Name and Surname	Relation	Marital Status	Age	Profession or Occupation	Birthplace
Alfred Smallwood	Head	Married	52	[illegible on census form]	St. Mary Cray, Kent
Ellen Smallwood	Wife	Married	50		Glasgow, Scotland
James M. Smallwood	Son	Single	23	Sapper, Royal Engineers	St. Pancras, London
Walter Smallwood	Son		15	Poultry Farm Worker	St. Mary Cray, Kent
Maggie Smallwood	Daughter		13		St. Mary Cray, Kent

Height:	5 feet 6 ⁷/₈ inches
Age:	18 years and 4 months
Chest (minimum):	34 inches
Chest (maximum):	36 inches
Complexion:	Fair
Eyes:	Brown
Hair:	Dark Brown
Distinctive marks:	Scars on head; Moles on right cheek
Religion:	Church of England until 18 January 1894, thereafter Wesleyan