P183
SMITH, Ralph Lewis
| Service Number: | 3623 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Deal, Kent, England, 9 September 1881 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Circumstances of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Section: LO, Road: 7S, Site No: 22 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Apr 1916: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 3623, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 3623, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked Embarked on the HMAT A70 Ballarat | |
| 13 Jan 1917: | Involvement Finished training and Left training | |
| 12 Mar 1918: | Involvement Rejoined the 8th Battalion after leave | |
| 24 Apr 1918: | Wounded Wounded by gas while in the field | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Involvement Omitted to 15th Australian field ambulance. Transferred to 61st casualty clearing station (gas lethal) | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Involvement Transferred from 4th casualty clearing station to Ambulance train 5 | |
| 26 Apr 1918: | Involvement omitted to the 6th general hospital rouen | |
| 27 May 1918: | Involvement Transferred to 3rd Australian Auxiliary hospital | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement Was guilty of absent without leave from 10pm 6th of August to 10pm 7th of August. The punishment was admonished (told off) and fortified 1 day of pay | |
| 4 Oct 1918: | Involvement rejoined the 32nd Battalion. in the field on 4th of the October | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3623, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 17 Feb 1919: | Involvement Was appointed to the job of a Lance Corporal | |
| 25 Feb 1919: | Involvement On leave to England | |
| 1 Sep 1919: | Discharged Private, 3623, Ralph Lewis smith was discharged from the army | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 3623, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Ralph Lewis Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Pre war
Ralph previously served in the military when he lived in Deal, Kent, England. He served in the Royal Marines light infantry for three years while he lived in England. He migrated over to Adelaide. He was religious and followed the Church of England. Before Ralph enlisted to go war he worked as a tram conductor. Ralph was married to Mrs Jessie Malcolm Smith and with her they had three children. His family lived in a nice house at 19 Alfred Street, Norwood, South Australia. He left all these great things behind to go and fight for his country at the age of thirty-four. He enlisted to go to war on the 17th of April 1916.
Life on the western front
He was enlisted into the 32nd battalion 8th reinforcement and became a private. A private is the lowest rank in the war. Ralph embarked over to Hurdcott England to train. Ralph embarked on the 12th of August 1916. Ralphs unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A70 Ballarat. Ralph disembarked in Hurdcott England on the 30th of September. He marched into the training battalion with the other men in his battalion. He went to army school on the 20th of November 1916 in Tidworth in England. He learnt about the war and the rules of war. Ralph completed school and then went to 8th training battalion from school.
Ralph proceeded overseas to France on the 28th of February 1917, Ralph was taken on strength to the 32nd battalion. When Ralph was taken on strength he went to war on the 6th of March 1917. Unfortunately, Ralph was detached and transferred to the supply dump. Ralph's new job in the supply dump was to sort and distribute the equipment and food to the different battalions. Ralph's other job he was assigned was to be the coal guard, Ralph was appointed this job on the 14th of October 1917.
Ralph was fighting in his battalion with the other men and he was unfortunately wounded by gas. He was promptly admitted to the 15th Australian field ambulance he was then taken to the 61st casualty clearing station his gas was dubbed lethal. Ralph was later transferred from the 4th Casualty Clearing Station to the Ambulance Train number 5 on the 25th of April 1918. Ralph was then admitted to the 6th General hospital, Rouen in France and on then went back to England for treatment, 26th of April 1918. This wound was extremely serious as he then went on to two more hospitals.
Once Ralph had gotten the all clear and was ready to go back and fight for his country, he was discharged from the hospital and went to the number 4 Command Depot in Hurdcott, 29th of May 1918. He then embarked back to France to fight.
Ralph embarked over to the Overseas Training Brigade in Longbridge Deverill in England on the 27 August 1918. Ralph then returned back to 32nd battalion and re-joined in France to fight, on the 4th of October 1918. Early in the next year Ralph was promoted and appointed the job of a Lance corporal. His new job was to lead a small group of privates. He was now higher up than a private, his previous job.
Ralph's fighting in Europe was up and it was time to go back to his family and friends. Ralph happily embarked back to England to commence return back to Australia. Ralphs journey back to Australia had begun and on the 2nd of April 1919. He arrived in Weymouth England and marched back into where he arrived three years ago into the number two Command Depot on the 10th of April 1919. He then proceeded to board the board HT 'Durham' back to Australia. He left from Liverpool England to cruise back to Australia on the 22nd of May 1919. He finally arrived and disembarked in Adelaide on the 16th of July 1919.
After the war
After the war once he had returned Ralph he was discharged from the war and his time fighting for Australia was up. He was discharged on the 1st of September 1919. Ralph Lewis Smith was awarded a medal. Smith was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Ralph sadly passed away on the 8th of November 1935. His death was not an attributed war service because he didn’t die fighting. He died at the age of fifty-four which is fairly young.
Bibliography
AIF project n.d., Website, UNSW, accessed 28 March 2018, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=281390>.
Your story our history n.d., Website, Australian National Archives, accessed 28 March 2018, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1787386>.
Ralph Lewis Smith n.d., Website, SLSA, accessed 28 March 2018, <http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/sarcib/SRG76_1_5890.pdf>.
Private Ralph Lewis Smith n.d., Website, Australian War Memorial, accessed 28 March 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11006869>.
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