SMITH, Alfred Arthur George
| Service Number: | 2153 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Echunga, South Australia, May 1890 |
| Home Town: | Echunga, Mount Barker, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: | Echunga War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 2153, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 2153, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Anchises, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Cornerstone College
Private Alfred Arthur George Smith lived in a completely different generation to what we do today. His generation was focused around serving their country and showing its loyalty to Britain while trying to expand their territories. His world was so different to that of life today that he fought through three major battles that assisted Britain in World War 1 in the bid to show service to his country.
Before his departure to “do his part” in the Great Battle that was World War 1, Alfred Arthur George Smith was a labourer that was known for his talent with tools and his positive outlook on life. He was born and raised in the small town of Echunga South Australia where he took basic lessons from his mother. He was never known to be perceived with any negativity as he was a dedicated man who devoted his life to assisting others in any way possible. It is unknown whether or not he lived his life with siblings but his next of kin was his mother, Mrs Martha Jane Smith[1]. By the time he was twenty five, Arthur had signed up for the war not having to worry about leaving a family behind due to the fact that he was still single.
Former Labourer, Alfred Arthur George Smith devoted his late 20’s to serving his country in the Great War. At the age of twenty five, Alfred left home to embark on the HMAT Anchises A68 and its departure from Melbourne, South Australia. He was a part of the Ninth Light Horse Regiment along with fifteen other young men willing to show service in any way possible. The venture over to the unknown was anything short of comfortable but nothing compared to the hell they would face when their feet were planted on the new soil that would become their home for the next year. Although his official title was to be a part of the light horse regiment, Alfred ended up on foot as there was simply too many light horsemen and their steeds dying without any major conquers to their names[2].
[1] https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1745736&isAv=N
[2] http://www.lighthorse.org.au/resources/history-of-the-australian-light-horse/the-mounted-soldiers-of-australia