Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

Frank Seymour Smith was born at Semaphore on the 2nd of February 1886, the son of Thomas George Smith and Clara May Hopkins. He was the fifth of eight children. Thomas passed away aged 60 years in December 1909 when Frank was aged just 23. Thomas had been a tailor at Port Adelaide and was a big fan of the Port Adelaide Football Club and its Chairman from 1880 - 1882.

In 1896, Frank S. Smith, aged 10, became member number 3731 in “the Adelaide Observer” newspaper’s children’s column. His address at that time was Finniss Street, North Adelaide. From an early age Frank was involved in swimming competitions. In March 1900, aged 14 he won the championship at the public schools’ carnival.

In February 1901, Frank won the 100 yards for boys under 16 at the Glenelg Amateur Swimming and Water Polo Club Carnival. He was considered to be a ‘prominent swimmer’ in February 1903.

In March 1901 Frank came second in the Our Boys’ Institute Camp elocutionary competition with his piece entitled “Boys’ Rights”, however he eventually was given the prize as the boy who originally gained first place was over the age limit for the competition.

Schooling

Frank did his early schooling at the North Adelaide Public School but went on to complete his Senior Examinations in three stages, passing History and Physical Geography and Geology under the private tutorship of Mr. G.G. Newman in March 1907, English in December 1908, and Latin and Physiology in March 1909 (again under Mr. G.G. Newman).

In 1904, aged 18, Frank was an official at the Glenelg Swimming Carnival and was playing football for the Albion Club.
Early Career

It is unclear when Frank commenced working, however it may have been as early as 1907, as he completed his Senior Examinations part-time. Frank was required to have passed Senior Latin before he could become an articled clerk. He appears to have become an articled clerk with Kenny and Smith in about April 1909. This is based on later reports in 1914 where F. Villeneuve Smith applied to the court on Frank’s behalf regarding the date he could be admitted to the bar (articles for a law clerk took five years at that time). From early 1909, Frank’s name begins to appear in the papers as F. Seymour Smith and F Seymour-Smith to avoid confusion with F.V. Smith.

In 1909 Frank played football for South Adelaide II in the South Australian Association and it is likely that he played for them in 1910 as he was referred to as "ex South Adelaide" when he joined the Adelaide University team in 1911.

Adelaide University

Frank commenced studying law subjects at Adelaide University in 1910. From early in 1910, he was appearing in court on behalf of F.V. Smith. Frank gained his Final Certificate in Law in 1914.

Frank competed in the 50 yards Handicap at the South Australian Amateur Swimming Carnival and ran the 100 yards open handicap at the Y.M.C.A. interstate tournament, both held in March 1910.

Frank married Cora Jean McHugh (aged 23), the daughter of George Thomas McHugh at the Church of the Epiphany, Crafers on the 30th of June 1913 and the couple’s daughter, Constance May Smith was born on the 20th of November 1913.

University Sport

Rowing
In January 1910, Frank represented the Adelaide University Rowing Club in the Inter-Rowing Club Handicap (50 yards) and the Inter Clubs Teams’ Race at the annual Adelaide Rowing Club swimming races at the Glenelg Baths.

Football
Frank represented Adelaide University at the Intervarsity matches against Melbourne University in 1910, 1911 and 1913.

When the Amateur League was formed in 1911, Frank began playing for Adelaide University and represented them in both 1911 and 1912. He was a member of the Club’s first two premiership teams. Frank generally played on the wing and sometimes in the centre.

In 1911 Frank represented the Amateur League in a match against the Gawler Association and in 1912 he played for Adelaide University in a match against St Peter’s College.

Pre-War Career

Frank was admitted to the bar on the 1st of August 1914.

Frank was a member of the Literary Societies’ Union and was elected a member of their parliament in October 1914 and by March 1915 he was the Honorary Solicitor for the National Coursing Club.

In June 1915 Frank competed in a rifle match between the Adelaide Women's Rifle Club and the Law Rifle Club, fired on the School of Mines miniature range.

In November 1916, Frank was living at the Esplanade, Henley Beach when he ran for election to the Henley Beach Council; he failed to gain election. Frank was Honorary Solicitor for the SA Amateur Swimming Association.

In about March 1917, Frank and Cora’s son, Maxwell Seymour Smith was born. Tragically, Maxwell passed away on the 9th of October 1917 aged just 7 months.

World War I Service

On the 30th of April 1918, Frank enlisted for service in WWI (SN 62143). He was just over 32 years of age, 5’5”, 155 lbs, with a medium complexion, brown eyes and dark hair.

After he enlisted, Frank got into difficulty over a passing a cheque which was dishonoured. He was found not guilty of fraud shortly before his embarkation date.

He embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board SS Gaika on 6 August 1918 and disembarked in London on the 13th of October 1918. Frank was allocated to the 43rd Battalion from the 9th Training Battalion but was still in Depot in the UK when hostilities ceased. He served at Tidsworth and Codford.

Tragedy struck the Smith family while Frank was still serving overseas, his youngest brother, Murray Albion Smith died on the 15th of May 1919, aged 24 and twenty-three days later another brother Everard George Smith died on the 7th of June 1919, aged 31 at the Isolation Hospital, Adelaide. This was at the height of the Infuenza Pandemic.

Frank served in France from July to September 1919 and was promoted to Staff Sergeant. Frank returned to Australia on the HMAT A60 Aeneas and was discharges on the 30th of January 1920.

Post War Career & Family Life

In January 1920, Frank resumed his practice as a barrister and Solicitor at Brookman's Buildings (Ground Floor), Grenfell Street, Adelaide. By November 1921, Frank was practicing in partnership with Ralph Frederic Newman under the firm name of F. Seymour Smith & Newman. This partnership was dissolved in February 1922.

On the 19th of May 1923, Frank’s elder sister, Zoe Francis died, aged 44.

In June 1923, an application was made before the Full Court to strike the name of F. Seymour Smith off the roll of practitioners of the Supreme Court following a charge of unprofessional conduct. Frank had failed to remit funds to a client which he had collected on her behalf. Frank claimed that the death of his sister and some other troubles had unsettled him. Years later he stated that ‘he had had great domestic worries on account of sickness and death in his family and as a result he sought relief in drink and neglected his practice.’ Frank was struck off the roll-on the 9th of July 1923.

Things then went from bad to worse for Frank, as several people came forward to claim that Frank had written them cheques on a non-existent bank account. Frank was arrested at Brighton and granted bail, he failed to appear in court, and was arrested at Broken Hill. He was later sentenced to imprisonment.

Further tragedy struck Frank when his wife Cora Jean passed away on the 7th of January 1924 at North Terrace, Adelaide aged just 33. Frank and Cora’s daughter, Constance, was aged just 11 when her mother passed away.

Frank left South Australia and was an auctioneer and estate agent in Victoria and he resided at 5 Campbell St, Sandringham, Victoria in 1924. He went to Queensland in 1925 and secured a position as manager of a large legal practice.

In December 1926, he returned to Melbourne and obtained a post as managing clerk for a well-known barrister and solicitor, a position he still held in December 1928 when he applied for restoration to the rolls.

As part of his case for restoration Frank claimed that ‘His habits had been characterised by sobriety and industry, and for a considerable time he had been a total abstainer. He had made full redress and restitution to those whom he had wronged, and he now sought to have his name restored to the roll of practitioners of the Supreme Court in order that he might be permitted to apply to the Supreme Court of Victoria for admission to practice as a barrister and solicitor in that State.’

As part of the process for readmission the rolls, Frank was required to advertise in the newspapers. He was living at Crisp Street, Hampton, Victoria at the time. The readmission process however, established that Frank had not made full redress and restitution to those he had wronged in SA and he was not restored to the rolls.

Frank had re-married by 1931. His second wife was Albertha Agnes “Bertha” Braid, a widow whose husband had died in 1919. Victorian electoral rolls show the couple living at 6 Gordon St, Mont Albert and Frank was described as a Company Manager. Frank was living in Melbourne when his sister, Zetta Emma passed away in June 1931.

At some stage the Frank and Albertha had a son, Frank (Jnr).

In 1932, Frank was back in South Australia and living at Largs Bay when he brought a case before the courts against his brother Claude Hopkins Smith regarding the estate of Emma Smith (their grandmother).

Frank was before the courts again in February 1936 for behaving offensively in a right-of-way off Semaphore Road.

In November 1933, F. Seymour Smith was secretary of the Semaphore Progress and Ratepayers’ Welfare Association and he was living at 70 Wills Street, Largs.

In 1937, F. Seymour Smith was living at Semaphore and involved in local council matters. F. Seymour Smith was secretary on the Lefevre’s Peninsula Secession League , a group attempting to gain independence from the Port Adelaide Corporation and was standing as an anti-pre-selection Independent candidate for the Semaphore electorate. The final mention of Frank Seymour Smith in the South Australian papers relates to an August 1937 court case brought by a plumber against Frank Seymour Smith of Exeter for defaulting on a bill. The fragments of information in this paragraph appear to relate to Frank but cannot definitely be tied to him and conflicting evidence from the Victorian electoral rolls shows that in 1936 Frank was retired and he and Albertha Agnes were living at 3 McEvoy St, Kew Victoria.

World War II

In January 1940 Frank enlisted for service during WWII (SN V825860), his file was not open to the public (at time of writing) however his wife Albertha Smith was named as his next-of-kin. Frank was living at 3 McEvoy St, Studley Park, Kew, Victoria in November 1940 when he wrote to the Department of Defence, requesting a copy of his discharge papers in relation to his WWI service.

Frank's WWII record is at
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6272552

The WWII record gives Frank's date of birth as 2 February 1889 ( he was born on 2nd February 1886) and may have misrepresented his date of birth in order to enlist. Frank was discharged in November 1940. He was unfit for duty. He had not served overseas in WWII.

Death

Frank Seymour Smith passed away in Victoria in 1944, aged 58, he had been living at Kew Victoria and is buried at the Box Hill Cemetery.

Albertha was still at 3 McEvoy St, Kew in 1954. She died in 1962 aged 72. Frank’s daughter, Constance May Slade (nee Smith), passed away in 2012, aged 98.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (in the period 2015-2019) please see the document attached.