Title: Marine Corps Private, World War II, Killed in Action
Birthdate: April 8, 1925
Death Date: September 23, 1944
Plot Location: Section 38, Lot 21, Grave 2

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Bill’s parents were William Sr., born in 1887, and Mary Glasgow, born in 1893. Not much more is known about them other than Mary’s brief but prior marriage. She had a boy, George W. Ross, in 1914 but Mr. Ross went quickly out of the picture.

She married William in 1918, so George became a step-brother at age 11 when Bill was born. The boys grew up in South Philly just off of Packer Avenue, and attended Vare Junior High School. After that, Bill dropped out to work at the Navy Yard when he was 15 years old. He could easily walk there, but while he was used to seeing the big ships there all the time, he didn’t dream of becoming a sailor. 

Instead, he lived by the motto, “semper fidelis.” On May 15, 1942 he became part of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Known simply as the 3/1, their nickname had a double meaning because it also represented the original date the regiment was activated, on March 1, 1941.

The 3/1 landed at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on August 7, 1942. They fought there  until they were relieved just before Christmas. The entire 1st Regiment was sent to Melbourne, Australia to rest and refit. The next campaign took place from late 1943 to early 1944.. The regiment was the first to go ashore at New Britain, an island in the Territory of New Guinea on the day after Christmas, 1943. 

The worst engagement for the 3/1 was the Battle of Pileliu, where the goal was to capture a Japanese airfield on the island. The invasion began September 15, 1944 and was predicted to take four days. It lasted more than two months. 

The American amphibious landing had followed the previous pattern, but the Japanese changed their tactics and were better fortified. For Private Smith, the battle ended with his death on September 23. It was just two days before the 1st Regiment was withdrawn from the front lines, having suffered 1,749 casualties or 58 percent of its force.

Bill’s body was re-buried in Philadelphia’s Mount Moriah Cemetery on October 16, 1948. A horizontal military stone was ordered for his grave in Section 38, Lot 21, Grave 2, but a photo is currently not available.

Japanese maple tree in front of a monument at Mount Moriah Cemetery

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