SMITH, Hugh Henry
| Service Number: | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 February 1915, taken on strenght at Gallipoli, 16th June 1915 and posted to D Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | West Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Busselton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Motorcycle accident, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 26 January 1926 |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Busselton Cenotaph Victoria Square, Busselton Rotary Park of Remembrance Memorial Walk, Kelmscott War Memorial, Roleystone Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2026, 11th Infantry Battalion, taken on strenght at Gallipoli, 16th June 1915 and posted to D Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 1915: | Involvement Private, 2026, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Apr 1915: | Embarked Private, 2026, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Fremantle | |
| 25 Apr 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2026, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 22 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2026, 48th Infantry Battalion, Discharged in Perth |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Joy Dalgleish
Taken on strength by the 11th Battalion at Gallipoli on 16 Jun 1915 and posted to D Company. On 13 Sep he was treated by the 3rd Field Ambulance for pyrexia and sent on 13 Sep 1915 to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Transferred by hospital ship to Mudros for treatment by the 25th Casualty Clearing Station. They in turn forwarded him on to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis, Egypt via the HMHS Formosa to Port Said, arriving on 21 Sep 1915. His treatment card indicates he was a patient for 44 days before his release on 3 Nov 1915, appears not to have made it back to Gallipoli before the withdrawal, and is one of the men 'donated' to the newly formed 48th Battalion, joining them on 25 Apr 1916. On 27 May 1916 the battalion packed up at Serapeum and 1 Jun 1916 entrained for Alexandria where they boarded HMT Caledonia on the 3rd for Marseilles, disembarking on 9 Jun 1916 and entrained for the front which they reached in the early morning of 12 Jun 1916.
Hospitalised in France 27 Jun to 10 Jul 1916, and again from 20 Jul 1916. His admittance to the 20th General Hospital in Camiers on 26 Jul 1916 indicated that he had a mild case of Trench Feet. Hugh rejoined the 48th Battalion on 1 Oct 1916.
While in England on leave in early Jan 1917 he was again hospitalised, and then ran foul of Military Law. On 9 Jan 1917 he was charged with being AWOL in Perham Downs for 4 hours, but had another man's pass and was therefore awarded 7 days detention on top of the 5 days he had been in custody awaiting trial. On his release he reported to No 4 Command Depot in Wareham, and there, he again went AWOL, this time for 12 days, resulting in him being awarded 8 days detention to go with the 2 already served and loss of pay for 23 days.
Things went downhill from here, with the next charges being for resisting an escort and striking a superior officer. The Court Martial awarded 6 months detention, and the forfeit of 205 days pay. Had his sentence cut short by 52 days and he returned to France via Southampton on 17 Sep 1917.
He joined the 48th again on 24 Oct 1917, and on 22 Dec 1917 took an extra 2 hours leave, with the subsequent loss of 7 days pay. At a Field General Court Martial on 27 Jan 1918 (his second) he was charged with drunkenness on 31 Dec 1917, and offering violence the same day. Found guilty, he was sentenced to 9 months in custody on top of the 27 days awaiting trial and the loss of 300 days pay. On 18 Jun 1918 the rest of his sentence was suspended and he returned to duty, rejoining the 48th Battalion on 25 Jun 1917.
On 8 Aug 1918 near Proyart he received a bullet wound to his left hand and was evacuated to England on the 11th, where he was admitted to the Fort Pitt Military Hospital in Chatham. The War Diary does not record any contact with the enemy that day. It appears that he remained in England, as on 6 Dec 1918 he was found guilty of being away from his base without a leave pass.
Discharged by the 5th Military District (Perth) on 22 Apr 1919.
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