Thomas Smith, September 2, 1918

Thomas Smith arrived in Hilo from Edinburgh, Scotland in January 1912--age 22, 5 feet 4 1/2 inches tall, fair skin, light hair, blue eyes. He soon started work as a luna in Honohina and remained in that position for over 5 years until leaving for Canada with another Hakalau luna, bound for the Front. He had registered for the U.S. draft in Hawaii as an "alien" from Britain in July 1917 but, in October 1917, finally joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in Vancouver.  
By March 1918, Hakalau Plantation had gained a reputation for the large number of "Britishers" going to the WWI front.  Plantation Manager John M. Ross had 12 stars on the service flag at the Hakalau office.  Thankfully, only one was killed.
Thomas Smith died of wounds received in action on the Western Front (France) on September 2, 1918, about 11 months after enlisting. He was buried at Fabourg-d'Amiens Cemetery in the town of Arras, France.
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!