CALEY-SMITH, Oliver Edward
| Service Number: | 760 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 March 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Angaston, South Australia, 10 March 1896 |
| Home Town: | Angaston, Barossa, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Angaston State School, St Peters College & Gawler School of Mines |
| Occupation: | Engineering student |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Flers, France, 5 November 1916, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Angaston Congregational Church WW1 Roll of Honour, Angaston District WW1 Roll of Honour, Angaston War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 760, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Sergeant, 760, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' |
|
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 760, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 760, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 5 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 760, 27th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17 |
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From the book Fallen Saints
Oliver Edward Caley Smith (Served as Caley-Smith) of Lockleys was born at Angaston, South Australia and was educated at the Angaston State School, Gawler High School, the Collegiate School of St. Peter and the Adelaide School of Mines. Before enlisting at Keswick on 11 March 1915, he was studying engineering as well as serving in E Company, 79th Infantry. (Citizens Force)
Oliver was in transit at the Infantry Base Depot, Oaklands Park until posted to the 27th Battalion in April. In May, he was made a provisional sergeant in D Company and at the end of the month sailed from Adelaide aboard HMAT Geelong. After reaching Egypt his rank was confirmed and he enthusiastically involved himself in all aspects of the training until he suffered a back injury in September.
He was discharged from the Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis in late October and after a month of convalescence was transferred to the Australian Overseas Base at Cairo.
On 21 March 1916, he was admitted to 3rd Australian General Hospital with appendicitis and the first his mother heard of it was from the mother of a fellow sergeant and Old Blue in D Company, Sergeant Reginald Coulter. Mrs Ada Coulter wrote to inform her that Reginald had mentioned in a letter that Oliver had an attack as they were marching to the train.
Sergeant Caley-Smith was transferred to Ras el-Tin Convalescent Depot Alexandria in April, discharged for duty at Tel-el-Kebir towards the end of the month and sailed for England on 20 July. He marched into 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp where he remained until proceeding to France. Sergeant Caley-Smith rejoined D Company, 27th Battalion at the end of August but after the Flers operation on 5 November, was listed as missing.
In a letter to the Red Cross dated 13 August 1917, Corporal Roland Shawyer apologised for not being able provide any more information other than that as far as he knew Oliver ‘was last seen in the German line.’ Shawyer said that as the unit was then retiring, he and his mates had to look after themselves and ‘did not have much time to see who eventually got out and who didn’t.’ He said after making enquiries among others who were there, ‘they all seem to think he got out and must have been sniped getting back to our line. His description as far as I can remember, height about 5’ 9’’, rather heavily built and pretty fat and very fair.’ [i]
During an interview aboard HMT Euripides in March 1919, 1794 Sergeant Major William Young, DCM, MM, reported that he and Oliver had sailed together on the Geelong.
‘He was away from the battalion with sickness in the Gallipoli days. During our attack about 10 a.m. at Flers we failed to reach our objective, and he was killed outright by a bullet round while taking shelter in a shell hole.’ Sergeant Major Young who had been in charge of the stretcher bearers at Flers told the interviewing officer that he was ‘about 10 yards’ away when Caley-Smith was hit and when he went to him to render first aid found he and three others were already dead. ‘It was not possible to move the dead then as there were too many wounded to take.’ In about June 1917, Young had gone over to Flers from Abbeville and while there ‘saw a grave near the spot where Caley-Smith fell bearing his name on a cross,’ but had no idea who erected it. [ii]
A Court of Inquiry assembled in July 1917 determined 760 Sergeant Oliver Edward Caley-Smith was killed in the action on 5 November 1916; he was 20 years of age. [iii]
[i] Australian War Memorial, Australian Red Cross wounded and missing enquiry bureau files – Caley-Smith, Oliver Edward / 3050106, viewed 28 October 2005
[ii] ibid
[iii] National Archives of Australia: B 2455, Caley-Smith Oliver Edward / 3188759, viewed 22 July 2006
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