20. W. H. SMITH 1952-1954

Walter Smith first watched cricket at Selborne Road (as Manor Way was then called) in 1878 and was rarely far away for the next 75 years. He thus spanned the golden years of John Shuter: the various difficulties before the first World War: the exciting times of Arthur Wellard: and the relatively modern era of Jim Jeffery. He served as Hon. Secretary over two periods, 1909-1913, when things were very difficult, and 1930-1932, when the Club was much more prosperous. He died, in his eighties, a few months after the celebrations of the 150th Annjversary of the famous match of 1805 against Kent, when the county were all out for six.
He was very well known around the Bexley area, being a master builder with premises in The Hjgh Street. He had married into the Dann family, which had had building and auctioneering interests in the district from 1770 and strong ties with the cricket club. One family forebear in particular, Thomas Dann,Jnr., had been an outstanding Secretary & Treasurer in the 1860s.
Walter Smith's firm had a reputation for high quality workmanship; some of the woodwork to be seen in St. Mary's Church, such as the board listing all the Vicars, was done by them, as was the original electric lighting installation.