Harold Frank Smith was born on October 16, 1893, in Roodhouse, Illinois. During World War I, Smith served with the intelligence section of the 131st Infantry. At the Battle of the Somme, Smith was severely wounded and was debilitated by those wounds for the remainder of his short life. Following the war, he worked as editor of The American Soldier magazine. Smith died in East St. Louis, Illinois on August 25, 1940.