SMITH, Bernard Matthew
| Service Number: | 4764 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, 1899 |
| Home Town: | Corrimal, Wollongong, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Asphalter |
| Died: | Killed in action, Bullecourt, France, 3 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4764, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4764, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4764, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney |
Help us honour Bernard Matthew Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Recorded on the Australian War Memorial and Commonwealth War Graves as killed in action 3rd July 1917; correct date should be 3rd May 1917.
Bernard Matthew Smith was born in Annandale, New South Wales, during 1899. Birth records show parents as Matthew and Mary Smith, who were deceased. He was only 17 years of age when he enlisted and gave his next of kin as Kate Ross, Corrimal, New South Wales, who may have been a foster mother.
His elder brother, 2203 Pte. David Augustus Smith 2nd Battalion AIF, had been killed in action at Lone Pine around 6-9 August 1915, aged 23.
The only surviving family member was a younger brother J.E. Smith, was attending college in Ireland during correspondence with Base Records regarding the deaths of David Augustus Smith and Bernard Matthew Smith.
John Edward Smith was the only surviving member of the family and being born in 1902, was only 13 years of age when his oldest brother was killed at Gallipoli.
Kate Moss of Corrimal, an aunt, was also included as a contact for the other brother, Bernard Matthew Smith.
J.E. Smith eventually received all of the Smith brothers awards and entitlements.