Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John William Smith was brought up by his maternal grandparents William and Mary Ann Fagan as both of his parents had died when he was young. He was born in 1894. His parents were John William Smith and Eliza Smith (nee Fagan). He was a native of Lancefield in Victoria. John or Jim as he was more commonly known also had one other sibling from that marriage a brother Arthur who was born in 1895. His father died in 1901 and his mother remarried and had four more children with her new spouse Alexander McIntosh. Eliza died in 1907 perhaps from complications during the birth of her two youngest children.

His brother Arthur along with two of his uncles James (Jim) and Robert (Bob) Fagan had signed up earlier to join the Australian Imperial Force. Jim Smith signed up for the great war on 23 February 1916 aged 22. His occupation at that time was labourer. He was farewelled at the Lancefield Mechanics Hall on Saturday 22 April 1916 along with eighteen other local volunteers. Each volunteer was presented with a belt by the local Lancefield community as a token of thanks.

Jim was assigned to the 38th Battalion and embarked at Melbourne on HMAT A54 Runic on 20 June 1916. He disembarked at Plymouth, England on 10 August 1916. He proceeded overseas to France on 22 November 1916. He suffered illness a couple of times having mumps and on another occasion blistered feet. He was also wounded twice, the first time on 24 February 1917 but remained on duty. He was wounded a second time on 8 June 1917 with a gunshot wound to the left shoulder requiring evacuation to Exeter Hospital in England.

Jim returned to duty with his unit on 10 May 1918 after spending time in England with a training brigade. During the period when the Australians were having great success in the field particularly in August 1918 he was unfortunately killed along with a couple of colleagues by a bomb dropped by a German airplane on 24 August 1918. He is buried in Bray Vale British Cemetery, Bray-Sur-Somme along with six fellow soldiers from the 38th Battalion.

John William Smith is commemorated on the World War One memorial in Lancefield one of twenty four soldiers who were native or had links to the district. A life cut too short at the age of twenty five, never to marry, never to have children, grand children or great grand children. Lest we forget.