Henry Smith (1875-1910)

Henry Smith, also known as Harry, was a sailor from Burnley, England, a hero of the Messina Earthquake, and today lays at rest at the Bunbury cemetery (reference). 

On Monday 28 December 1908 a 7.1 Richter Scale earthquake struck the port city of Messina, Sicily where Henry was moored aboard the steamship, SS Afonwen (reference; reference;  reference). Before dawn, Captain William Owen heard a tremendous noise but was unable to see the disaster through the thick dust cloud that had formed (reference). At day-break Captain Owen and his crew, including Henry, went ashore to offer their assistance (reference). They came across a five-story damaged building that had almost collapsed with children trapped on top (reference). Using a rope, Henry and his crew performed a gallant rescue, saving 12 people (reference). Today, this earthquake is remembered as a horrific natural disaster, having killed more than 100,000 people (reference; reference).

Following this event, Henry was presented with the Albert Medal for Bravery by King George V in 1910 for his part in rescuing victims of the Messina Earthquake (reference). Henry was due to receive an award honouring his bravery by the French government when he met his early death on his second trip to Bunbury (reference). 

Henry came to Bunbury onboard the SS Redbridge, a steamship that had previously visited Bunbury in 1909 (reference). At 12.30 am on 4 October 1910, Henry was returning to the Redbridge from an evening in Bunbury spent with mates when he fell to his death (reference). Crew Members stated that when Henry tried to get from the jetty to the ship’s sloping turret deck, he slipped and fell underneath the wharf, never surfacing again (reference). Some accounts said that he was crushed between the ship and the jetty (reference). It was later decided that when he fell, he hit his head, went unconscious and drowned (reference). The captain of the Redbridge had previously served with Henry and confirmed he was a steady and sober man (reference), inferring that alcohol was not a cause for this tragic accident. 

Search crews looked for his body but were unsuccessful. However, Henry’s body was recovered three days later on 7 October 1910 when James Wenn saw a body caught between the iron braces of the jetty when he was fishing (reference). He reported it to authorities and divers retrieved Henry the next day (reference). Identification of the body was deemed impossible due to disfiguration and missing features, but as it coincided with evidence presented by the Coroner at the Bunbury Court House, it was ruled as the body of Henry Smith (reference).

Henry, aged 35, was laid to rest at the Bunbury cemetery in 1910 and a memorial fundraised by the community was erected over his grave in 1911 to commemorate his bravery during life (reference; reference).

You can visit Henry's grave at the Pioneer Cemetery section of the Bunbury Cemetery. The location of his grave can be found at the Bunbury Cemetery Heritage Walk website (reference).