SMITH, Leo John
| Service Numbers: | VX54291, TX9431 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 April 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia, 26 December 1906 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 October 2005, aged 98 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 30 Apr 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX54291, 2nd/14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX54291, embarked Sydney for Middle East | |
| 29 Jan 1942: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX54291, 2nd/14th Infantry Battalion, embarked Middle East for Adelaide | |
| 9 Apr 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX54291, 2nd/14th Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 Jun 1945: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, TX9431 | |
| 29 Oct 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, TX9431 |
Help us honour Leo John Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Leo John Smith (Service Nos: VX54291/TX9431) served in the AIF, initially with 4 Infantry Training Battalion. Private Smith enlisted on 30 April 1941 and served in the Middle East and Northern Territory with Australian Army Canteen Services (AACS) NT and 2/14th Infantry Battalion. Discharging on 9 April 1945, Private Smith re-enlisted in Tasmania on 6 June 1945 (giving his DoB as 26 December 1916), and serving with 1 Australian Reinforcements Training Battalion (JW) until Discharge on 29 October 1945. Private Smith was one of seven siblings (Reg, Len, Allan, Ron, Lyle and Max) who served in WWII.
Jack was born in Ulverstone, Tasmania in 1906, eldest 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, where they lived and Percy worked as a Blacksmith and Labourer - he served in the AIF (Private; Service No:8057) in 1917/1918. In 1921 Percy and Florence moved to Melbourne, Victoria where they settled with their family and Percy worked as a Labourer and Motor Driver.
Jack was a Miner in Victoria before enlisting in the Army. In 1943 he married Mavis Mary Petty (b1922 in Queenstown, Tasmania), and they lived in Warburton (Hoddles Creek and Upper Yarra Dam) where they raised their family and Jack was a Cook. In the mid 1950s Jack and Mavis settled in Melbourne, where Jack worked as a Plant Operator. Jack died in 2005 and Mavis in 2015.
Click images to start slideshow.