SMITH, Darcy Benedict
| Service Number: | 2740 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia, 1 September 1899 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Public School, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Inflammation of Pancreas, Salisbury Isolation Auxiliary Hospital, Wiltshire, England, 26 October 1917, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
Stratford-Sub-Castle (St. Lawrence) Churchyard, Wiltshire, England |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2740, 55th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2740, 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney |
Help us honour Darcy Benedict Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Died on this date – 26th October…… Darcy Benedict Smith was born at 54 Carlisle Street. Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW in 1899.
His mother – Julia Martha Smith died on 1st September, 1906 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW.
Thomas William Smith, father of Darcy Benedict Smith, died 31st October, 1912 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 8th May, 1916 as an 18 year old, single, Labourer from Newtown, NSW. His next of kin was listed as his sister – Miss Irene Smith, Lonsdown Street, Newtown, NSW.
Private D’arcy (name as per Embarkation Roll) Benedict Smith, Service number 2740, embarked from Sydney, NSW on HMAT Ceramic (A40) on 7th October, 1916 with the 55th Infantry Battalion, 6th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 21st November, 1916.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
On 27th April, 1917 Private Smith was sent sick from 14th Training Battalion at Hurdcott, Wiltshire to Military Hospital at Bulford with VD. He was transferred to Parkhouse on 14th May, 1917 & discharged from Hospital on 16th May, 1917. Private Smith was marched in from Hospital at Parkhouse to Convalescent Training Company, No. 1 Camp at Parkhouse, Wiltshire on 16th May, 1917.
He was marched out from No. 1 Convalescent Training Company at Bulford on 6th July, 1917 & marched in to No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire the same day.
Private Smith was marched out from No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs to 14th Training Battalion at Hurdcott on 10th July, 1917.
On 22nd October, 1917 Private Smith was sent sick to Group Hospital at Hurdcott, Wiltshire from 14th Training Battalion. He was transferred to Military Hospital at Fovant on 22nd October, 1917 then transferred to Group Isolation Hospital the same day.
Private Darcy Benedict Smith died at 8 am on 26th October, 1917 at Salisbury Isolation Auxiliary Hospital, Wiltshire, England from Inflammation of Pancreas.
He was buried in St Lawrence’s Churchyard, Stratford-sub-Castle, Wiltshire, England.
[Note: Discrepancy in the cause of death – forms in the Service Record file of the late Private Darcy Benedict Smith state he died from Inflammation of Pancreas while the Red Cross Wounded & Missing file has a letter from the Matron who states he died from Cerebro Spinal Meningitis.]
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/stratford-sub-castle.html
Click images to start slideshow.