Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Noel William Schmidt was born at Orroroo 11 February 1922, the son of Albert Theodore and Sylvia Alison (nee Mills) Schmidt. Albert and Sylvia farmed Sections 32, 39 and 59, Hundred of Willowie. 

Noel reported for service 23 March 1942 at Wayville and was posted to the 48th Battalion (Btn) on 2nd of April and entrained to Victoria, joining the battalion at Gherang, south west of Geelong. The battalion was shifted just after Noel arrived, moving to Narellan in New South Wales. On 15 May he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

In early July Noel was detached to attend a further one-week training course (possibly truck driving) but was then shipped off to hospital with Influenza. It must have been serious as he was attended to at the camp dressing station before being transferred to 2 Casualty Clearing Station at Ingleburn, then on to Prince Henry Hospital and 103 Convalescent Depot at Ingleburn. He did not return to the 48 Btn at Ingleburn until 24 August 1942.

27 August 1942, the 48 Inf Btn converted to 108 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (108 LAA Rgt), but two weeks later Noel had a further stint in the Camp Dressing Station with Lobar pneumonia. He did not re-join the regiment until the 21st September. Three days later he was transferred to General Details Depot at Keswick, possibly for leave, returning to the unit 6 October. The 108 LAA Rgt was then relocated to Moorfield Racecourse, at Kogarah.

At the beginning of March 1943 he was detached for special harbour duty, possibly with the 148 LAA Battery (Bty), which moved to man the LAA guns around Sydney harbour, before returning to Moorefield on the 23rd of that month. At the beginning of April he was detached to the School of Artillery for 4 days.

He was appointed Lance Bombardier, (equivalent to Lance Corporal, but used in the artillery), and transferred to 233 LAA Bty which was located at Batchelor, in the Northern Territory, arriving on the 22 July 1943. Further stints in hospital followed, with Fibrositis and Polyarthritis.

He was graded Group III (Driver mechanic) 30 October 1943 and reverted to unpaid L/Bombardier. He related to his family of his time served with the Bty in the Northern Territory. They were very aware of the constant Japanese bombing missions flying overhead, and swimming in the local rivers when off duty. It seems the crocodiles were not as big a threat as being bombed.  

Noel was discharged from the Army 31 December 1943. He returned home to work on the farm at Willowie. 1944 was a drought year and by all accounts extreme. He married Mary Growden 23 June 1948, at Tarcowie Methodist Church. Apart from working the farm, Noel was also proactive in Local Government as a Councillor for the District Council of Port Germein (DCPG), representing the Willowie Ward in 1971/72, and elected as DCPG Chairman in 1979/1980. He was the first Chairman of the newly amalgamated District Council of Mount Remarkable holding his seat until 1982/83.

He passed away on the 16 April 1984 and is interred at Enfield Memorial Park, South Australia.

Excerpt taken from "Diggers From the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie & Andrew Barrie.