SMITH, Miles Staniforth Cater
| Service Number: | 235 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 January 1916, Claremont, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 44th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kingston, Victoria, Australia, 25 February 1869 |
| Home Town: | Port Moresby, National Capital District, Papua, Papua New Guinea |
| Schooling: | St Arnaud Grammar School and Melbourne University,Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Civil Servant (Administrator of Papua) |
| Died: | Natural causes, Kulikup, Western Australia 6246, 14 January 1934, aged 64 years |
| Cemetery: |
Boyup Brook Public Cemetery |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 235, Claremont, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 235, 44th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 6 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 235, 44th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Fremantle | |
| 9 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 44th Infantry Battalion | |
| 3 Jun 1919: | Honoured Member of the Order of the British Empire | |
| 22 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 44th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Miles Staniforth Cater Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Deb Robinson
Staniforth joined the AIF at the age of 46 after first failing his medical.
He was it seems part of the home guard in Papua until he joined the AIF in 1916.
He was proud of his grandfather William Cater Smith who was made Captain of the Scarsdale Regiment of Volunteer Infantry in May 1807. The Hobart Mercury published the above in an article dated 19th May 1909.
Staniforth also endured great loss in 1924 when his brother committed suicide.
"MR. STANIF0RTH SMITH. DEAD. SERVICE IN PAPUA AND THE NORTH.
After an illness of several months, during the last two weeks of which he was a patient at the Perth Hospital, Mr. Miles Staniforth Cater Smith, M.B.E., F.R.G.S., who was, until his retirement in 1930, Commissioner for Lands,. Mines and Agriculture in Papua, died in the hospital on Sunday morning. He was 64 years of age. The funeral took place on Monday at Boyup Brook. The late Mr. Staniforth Smith had an eventful and interesting career. Born in Victoria and educated at St Arnaud Grammar School, Melbourne, and the Melbourne University, he came to Western Australia in 1896 and made straight for Coolgardie. In the following year he moved on to Kalgoorlie. He was mayor of Kalgoorlie 1900-1901. While holding the office he stood for the first Senate election and, of 16 candidates, was elected at the head of the poll. After serving six years in the Federal Parliament he resigned to accept a position in Papua as Administrator, Commissioner for Lands and Surveys, and Director of Mines, Agriculture and Public Works.
In 1916 he came to Western Australia again and enlisted in the 44th Battalion, with which he served until the end of the war. On returning to Australia, he was appointed Acting-Administrator of the Northern Territory. He remained at Darwin for two years and then resigned to accept the appointment at Papua, which he held until 1930. On leaving Papua, Mr. Staniforth Smith returned to this State and acquired a property at Kulikup, which he farmed until taking ill a few months ago.
Before the war he carried out a big exploration in the unknown jungles in the western divisions of Papua, for which he was awarded the Patron's (King's) Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society of London. He was the author of several books, notably "Australian Campaigns in the Great War", "British New Guinea", "Germany in the Pacific", "The Federated Malay States and Java" (which was published as a blue book by the Federal Government) and "The Territory of Papua". ,
In 1928 the late Staniforth Smith married Miss Marjorie Mitchell, a niece of the Lieut-Governor of this State (Sir James Mitchell). His widow and four young children survive him." - from the Kataning Great Southern Herald 17 Jan 1934 (nla.gov.au)
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