SMITH, John Lyall
| Service Number: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Aberdeen, Scotland, December 1886 |
| Home Town: | Ayr, Burdekin, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Rosemount City School, Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Mason |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France , 29 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Ayr Great War Honour Roll, Ayr Masonic Lodge WW1 Honour Roll, Ayr War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jun 1915: | Involvement 1, 25th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1915: | Embarked 1, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Brisbane | |
| 29 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lieutenant, 25th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 25 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1916-07-29 | |
| 21 Sep 1916: | Honoured Military Cross, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 129 Date: 21 September 1916 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
AWM Summary
Regimental Sergeant Major John Lyall Smith, 25th Battalion from Ayr, Qld; originally of Aberdeen, Scotland.
A mason prior to enlisting on 7 February 1915.
John Lyall Smith had served eighteen months with the Gordon Highlanders and four years with the Scottish Horse prior to coming to Australia. Given the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major at enlistment, he embarked with the 25th Battalion, Pioneers, from Brisbane onboard HMAT Aeneas on 29 June 1915.
He arrived for service at Gallipoli on 4 September 1915 and was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant #OTD in 1915.
2nd Lt Smith arrived in France for service on the Western Front on 19 March 1916 and on 3 June 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for "gallant services" at Gallipoli.
He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 25 July 1916 and was killed in action at Pozieres, France, on 29 July 1916. Lt Smith MC was 30 years of age.
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