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EDINGTON, James Smith
| Service Number: | 2810 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | North Berwick, Scotland., April 1887 |
| Home Town: | Payneham, Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Police Constable |
| Died: | 24 March 1960, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Scots Church WW1 Honour Board, Adelaide Treasurer and Chief Secretary Roll of Honour, Thebarton S.A. Police Roll of Honor WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 2810, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 2810, 9th Light Horse Regiment, RMS Malwa, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2810, 9th Light Horse Regiment | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2810, 9th Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour James Smith Edington'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
Edington, James Smith was born in April 1887 in North Berwick, Scotland. He spent his childhood in his home country, Scotland. Edington James Smith immigrated to Australia at an unknown date. He worked as a Police Constable before enlistment. Edington was single and had no children. his sister was his nominated next of kin.
Edington's Attestation Papers describe him as 28 years and 11 months old. He stood at 5 feet and 9 inches and weight 157 lbs. His chest was measured at 38-39.5 inches Edington James Smith had grey eyes and brown hair. Lastly, Edington was Presbyterian.
On March 1st 1916, Edington James Smith, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force as a Private. He embarked overseas 27 July 1916 on RMS Malwa from Adelaide to Egypt. Upon arrival he marched into Isolation Camp in Moascar. He was taken on strength with th 9th Light Horse Regiment 13 October 1916.
In May 1917 he was hospitalised unwell for a couple of days and returned to his unit. In July he spent a week in Rest Camp with a debility and rejoined his unit 19 July 1917
Edington James Smith fought in many battles including; The battle of Romani started on 3 August 1916 which ended the Turkish threat to the Suez Canal and the Battle of Magdaba which started on 23rd December 1916 in the northern Sinai Desert. The attack on Beersheba which started on 31st October 1917 in WW1. After failed attacks on Gaza, Allied forces targeted Beersheba to ruin the Turkish Defence Line. The Battle of Megiddo in September 1918 which was the final battle between the Allies and the Turks in Palestine and Syria.
Smith was wounded 3 May 1918 but it was only slight so he remained on duty The following month he was wounded in the buttock. After hospital treatment he spent a few days in convalescence camp. He returned to the front line 5 August 1918 and was appointed Lance Corporal 8 August 1918. The following month he was promoted to Acting Corporal but only for a short time, reverting to Lance Corporal two months later.
He returned to Australia via the UK arriving back in Adelaide 18 October 1919. Edington was discharged 4 November 1919
Edington James Smith died on 24th March 1960 and is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia.
Bibliography:
Australian War Memorial 2016, 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Awm.gov.au, viewed 11 September 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51043>.
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Find a Grave 2022, James Smith Edington (1893-1960) - Find a Grave..., Findagrave.com, viewed 3 September 2025, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241418828/james-smith-edington>.
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manicminer 2011, Lance Corporal - explanation, The Great War (1914-1918) Forum, Great War Forum, viewed 11 September 2025, <https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/173560-lance-corporal-explanation/>.
OpenAI 2025, ChatGPT, ChatGPT, OpenAI, viewed 12 September 2025, <https://chatgpt.com/>.
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Virtual War Memorial Australia 2025a, Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History, Vwma.org.au, viewed 1 September 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/#>.
― 2025b, Virtual War Memorial, vwma.org.au, viewed 1 September 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/campaigns/57>.
Australian War Memorial 2025, AWM4 10/14/39 - May 1918, Awm.gov.au, viewed 19 September 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1351608?>.