SMITH, William Sydney
| Service Number: | 969 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 October 1915, An original member of D Company 41st Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Light Trench Mortar Battery |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 16 July 1892 |
| Home Town: | Spring Hill, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | News vendor |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 20 January 1965, aged 72 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Plot GP4 38 28 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 969, 41st Infantry Battalion, An original member of D Company 41st Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 969, 41st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 18 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 969, 41st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney | |
| 2 Feb 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 11th Light Trench Mortar Battery |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
William Sydney Smith was the son of William Dawson and Margaret Smith of Spring Hill, Queensland.
He lost two brothers during the war, 5833 Pte. Robert Ernest Smith 15th Battalion was killed in action during an attack on Stormy Trench near Gueudecourt on 1 February 1917, aged 27 and 3433 Pte. James Dawson Smith 4th Light Trench Mortar Battery was killed in action at Bullecourt, only two months later.
William was twice wounded in 1918, once gassed and the second occasion was reported in the Brisbane newspapers, “Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Smith, Isaac Street, Spring Hill, received word from the Base Records that their son, Pte. W. S. Smith, has been wounded, 2nd occasion. Their sons, Pte. Robert Smith and Pte. James Smith were killed in action in 1917, a son in law, Pte. George C. Clarke, 4th Field Ambulance, is prisoner of war in Turkey.
William was returned to Australia on 15 January 1919.