Albert E Smith, 1914 - ????

[Smith98]

Hi everyone

I’ve hit a dead end looking for my grandfather, who I never met and have little information about. I wonder if anyone can help?

He was born Albert Edward Smith, 16 September 1914 in Clapham, married Gisele Bastide in 1939, son Donald André born in Hammersmith March 1941. Gisele left him sometime in 1944. He never re-partnered or remarried as far as I know. He was a shoemaker in the West End til being conscripted to Normandy with the South Staffordshire regiment in summer of 1944.

According to a photo I have, he went to Paris when he was demobbed where he met up with his son and his ex in-laws. I have no idea how long he stayed in France, when he came back to England, or anything else after that.

My father told two versions of his death (via suicide); one, that he was 18 when his father died, and the other that Albert was 40 when he died. Obviously that doesn’t add up.
Aside from narrowing his death down to sometime between 1959 and 1954, and forking out for multiple dead end certificates, does anyone have any ideas where else to look?