John Horace Smith (1906-1996)

John Horace Smith (1906-1996) was born in Surrey, England in 1906 and died in Surrey, England in 1996 aged ninety.

Early Life
Jack, as John was always known as, was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey in 1906. His father was Ernest George Smith (1875-1942), a grocer who became a Colonel in the army and later owned/managed an R.S.L. club. His mother was Emily Larby (1872-1943), a.k.a. Emily Wilson, who married Ernest in 1899. Jack was named after his paternal grandfather, a lamplighter named John Horace Smith (1850-1895), who broke the line of Smith's from Baldock, Hertfordshire when he moved to Surrey in 1879. Jack and his siblings - Frederick, Ivy, Esther, Alfred and Herbert, grew up in Stud Leigh, a house in Kings Road, Walton-on-Thames, which Ernest took two bank jobs to afford.

Career
When Jack was young he and his mother began disagreeing with eachother and after some troubles Emily kicked Jack out. Jack joined the circus and trained as a lion tamer. He moved to Scotland to pursue his career. He developed a strong Scottish accent even when he returned to Surrey.

Later Years
Jack suffered from back troubles in his later years and retired to Surrey, England. He passed away in 1996 aged ninety, his son continuing the career of lion tamer in France.