Smail was sent to France in the beginning of March 1917

"On 3 June, four days before the British attack on Messines the 2 Brigade was relieved on the line near Ypres and they marched back to Canteen Corner, a short distance east of the intersection of the Bailleul-Armentieres and Nueve Eglise-Steenwerck roads. This location was the bivouac area for the whole of the 2 Brigade, and on this day Smail joined the 1 Battalion, Canterbury Regiment, 2 Company. That night the enemy shelled the bivouac area with long range high velocity guns. Although the shooting was accurate and destroyed a cookhouse, there were no casualties." (Church, p.167)

On the 12 October 1918, during the third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), Snail received gunshot wounds to his right foot and spent his final months in a number of hospitals. His final stay was at No.1 NZGH, Brockenhurst. (Church, p.167) AWMM