Arthur Smith was serving with The Royal Artillery during World War II when he volunteered for airborne forces.He qualified as a military parachutist on Course 96 which ran from 16 to 30 December 1943 and subsequently served with A Company,9th Parachute Battalion, which took part in the campaigns in North West Europe during 1944-45.

Having participated in the Normandy and Ardennes campaigns, Arthur Smith was killed in the opening stages of Op Varsity, an operation tasked with securing the Rhine Crossings into Germany.

Pte Arthur Smith was killed on 24 March 1945, aged 24 years, and is now buried in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.