SMITH, Leonard Percival
| Service Number: | VX61978 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/21st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia, 4 June 1915 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Armadale, Victoria, Australia, 1 May 1986, aged 70 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 19 Aug 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX61978 | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX61978, 2nd/21st Infantry Battalion, embarked Darwin for Ambon Island | |
| 20 Apr 1942: | Imprisoned Ambon | |
| 12 Dec 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX61978 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Leonard Percival Smith (Service No:VX61978) enlisted in the AIF on 19 August 1941 and was attached to 6th Infantry Training Battalion. On 13 December 1941, Private Smith was attached to 2/21 Infantry Battalion when he embarked with his Unit from Darwin for Ambon Island, where he was Reported Missing on 20 April 1942. Confirmed as a PoW held by the Japanese on Ambon Island on 1 June 1942, Private Smith was suffering from beri beri when he was recovered from the Japanese on 28 August 1945 and evacuated to Sama Bay. Private Smith embarked for his Return to Australia (RTA) on 3 October 1945, and was attached to 2/21 Battalion at Discharge on 12 December 1945. Private Smith was one of seven siblings (Reg, Jack, Allan, Ron, Lyle and Max) who served in WWII.
Len was born in Ulverstone, Tasmania in 1915, fourth of thirteen children of Percy William Smith (b1884 in Morven, Tasmania) and Florence Louisa Hampton (b1883 in George Town, Tasmania). Percy (a Blacksmith) and Florence married in 1913 in Ulverstone Tasmania, where they lived and Percy was a Blacksmith. Percy served in WWI (Private; Service No:8057) in 1917/1918, and following his Discharge, he and Florence remained in Ulverstone (where Percy worked as a Blacksmith and Labourer) until 1921, when they moved to Melbourne - Percy worked as a Labourer and Motor Driver.
Len worked in Melbourne as a Labourer and, in 1936 married Kathleen (Cassie) Murtagh (b1917 in Coleraine, Victoria). Len and Cassie lived in Melbourne, where they raised their family and Len worked as a Labourer. Following his Discharge from the Army, Len and Cassie moved to Tasmania, where they settled and Len worked as a Carpenter. Len died and Cassie both died in 1986.
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