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Australia

Ron was the second son, born at Blackforest, a suburb of Adelaide on the 20th July 1915. His father, H.C. Smith had served in WWI, returning to live at the Bay in comparative peace with his young family following the ‘The War to End All Wars’. Post school, Ron built a career with the reputable clothing store in Rundle Street, run by Harold Macfarlane and also at John Martin’s.
Friends Ron and Sam Starling recalled that they were enjoying cups of tea on Father’s day in 1939 when Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that Australia, would follow Britain, in being at war with Germany. Ron’s father knew of the horrors of war, but fervently hoped this new conflict would be over quickly.
Just a month prior to his 25th birthday, Ron enlisted on the 29th June ’40 for what he later described as “the trip overseas”. He explained that “I decided when I signed up down at North Terrace I’d go overseas and fight – I thought that was where the war had to be stopped.” At the time, Australia was experiencing the Depression and people knew times would get a lot rougher. With typical humour, Ron explained that he chose the infantry as the best way to go if you were going to be “up the sharp end”.
He was allocated the number SX7206 and placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Sam also enlisted as SX8642. Ron and other new enlistees were initially housed in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. Their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The young men were later given kitbags on which their names were stencilled.
On subsequent days, the battalion headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for preliminary training. Ron was selected to attend a week-long Signals Course before joining the other recruits. During precious leave in October, Ron married long-term sweetheart, Hilda Lavinia Whitehead on the 18th October ’40. As with so many, the planned engagements and weddings were hastily arranged prior to the soldiers heading overseas. The News carried both the engagement and wedding notices. APPROACHING MARRIAGE WHITEHEAD-SMITH.-The engagement is announced of Hilda. second daughter of Mrs. F. Whitehead, of Helmsdale, and the late Mr. L. G. Whitehead, to Ronald (2nd A.I.F.), second son of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Smith, of Helmsdale. The marriage will be celebrated at St. Peter's Church, Glenelg. on Friday, October 18, at 7.15 p.m.’
All too soon, Ron and his fellow members of the 2/48th Battalion then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. Soon after, Ron’s proficiency prior to embarking was recognised as a Group II Signaller. The young men marched to a Staging Camp until July before returning to their battalion. During those early days in the Middle East, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals as well as soon being involved in intense conflicts where the reputation of the 2/48th Battalion for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Ron was to become one of the highly respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
Fifty years later, Ron and Stan Starling were interviewed by the Sunday Mail on September 3rd ’89. They recalled the Desert Fox taunting the men to “Surrender – you’re all dying and living underground like a lot of rats.” Ron recalled this was the origin of the proud term ‘Rats of Tobruk’. As he predicted, times did get a lot rougher, but not as he had imagined. Within a year of enlisting, the two men experienced the real terror of war. It was “as rough as things were ever going to get.” Ron found it almost impossible to describe the sounds, the feelings and the sight of a 1000-gun barrage opening up. Then, with shells whistling over the top of him, standing up and beginning to move forward with his fellow soldiers.
Ron was faced with the reality of war. He was wounded on August 10th ’41, sustaining a gunshot injury to his right arm. His battalion was back in the Salient, where days were extremely hot. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan described the conditions; ‘with a wind like the breath of a furnace, and the nights were bathed in the light of a full moon, curtailing the movement of the Salient men and presenting the ration parties with the difficult task of getting a meal up, with the gaps in the minefields covered by the enemy fixed lines of fire.’ He added, ‘at nights cases of heat exhaustion had to be evacuated from the forward posts. This was the fifth month of siege, and conditions were telling on the men. To add to this there was a marked increase in enemy fire from mortars, artillery and machine-guns, and our casualties were mounting. Private P. Costera was killed by a sniper and Privates Irvine, Hordacre and Ron Smith were wounded by shell fire.’
Further detail of Ron’s wounding appeared in Tobruk to Tarakan. ‘Clarrie Duffield was the hero of a notable instance of unselfish bravery. It occurred on a day when D Company headquarters came under particularly heavy fire. A shell made a direct hit on a section of trench occupied by the company commander, Captain Geoff Leane and Private Ron Smith. Ron was wounded and Captain Leane was helping him to the protection of another trench when Clarrie saw them. He immediately left the shelter of his own post and ran, regardless of the shelling, to the assistance of his company commander and the wounded man. He was hit by a shell splinter, but half blinded by dust and smoke, continued on and succeeded in getting Ron back to the Regimental Aid Post and the care of Captain Dawkins. For this and other acts of bravery Duffield was awarded the Military Medal.’
Back home, the August edition of the Advertiser carried the list of 20 men wounded at the same time as Ron and also news that ‘Private R. C. (Ron) Smith, who left for overseas last November, has been reported wounded in action at Tobruk. He is the second son of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Smith, of Helmsdale, and before leaving was married to Miss Hilda Whitehead. He was employed at Macfarlane's, Rundle street.’ The News carried the same story and included a photo of Ron on its pages.
Ron was finally able to re-join his battalion at the start of November ’41. Still not a well man, Ron contracted an upper respiratory tract infection and tonsillitis spending several weeks in hospital over February and the start of March ’42.
By August that year he had re-joined his battalion but within three months was again wounded in action in the fierce fighting at the end of October ’42. He received extensive gunshot wounds to his thigh and scapula, requiring month long treatment. At that time, Montgomery had ordered the 9th Battalion to attack northward. This included an all-out attack on the strategically positioned Trig 29. Conditions were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. Ron’s 2/48th Battalion prepared for the second battle of El Alamein which began on October 23rd. The evening was described in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ as ‘an occasional burst from a machine gun disturbed the night of 24th October. Nevertheless, it was a busy time for the tired men. Little or no sleep could be had. A hot meal sent forward after dark was quickly swallowed. There was no time for yarning. Defences had to be improved, more digging and wiring done, and patrols sent out.’ He later added that ‘the 2/48th had stirred up a real hornets’ nest.’ On that night alone 9 of the Battalion were killed and 20 wounded in action. Of these 16 were from South Australia and the remainder from Western Australia.
Glenn explains they were ‘running into particularly stiff opposition to the west of the Trig point. It was only after hard fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, that they were able to consolidate on their objective. Gradually the platoon, small in number to start with, was being whittled away and those remaining were being forced to go to ground.’ At the end of the night the battalion had just 41 men still standing. John Glenn best summarised the soldiers’ efforts. ‘Truly it can be said of these men, “They fought themselves and their enemy to a standstill until flesh and blood could stand no more, then they went on fighting.”
Back home the November issue of the Chronicle carried an extensive list of the cost to the soldiers involved in Ron’s battalion. SX11130 Pte. Ernest W S. Moore from Nth. Kensington and SX13756 Pte. Edward G. Davis, from Salisbury were killed in action. SX8096 A-Cpl. Henry D. Laughton, from King's Park was listed as Dangerously Wounded. Many others were listed as wounded in action including SX10316 Mjr. Geoffrey S. Edmunds, Toorak; SX9064 Lt. Hugh F. Treloar, Adelaide; SX8402 Pte. Arnold R. Dolan, Renmark; SX6910 Pte. Hoard Major, Woodville; SX6832 Pte. Walter J. Fennell, Berri; SX13701 Pte. Frank M. Lowe, Whyalla; SX7609 Pte. Colin H. Rickard, Penola; SX7411 Pte. Walter H. J. Hay, Murray Bridge; SX7122 Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew, Narrung; SX11828 Pte. Roy H. Winter, Thebarton; SX7242 Pte. P. A. Pfeiffer, Berri; SX7130 Pte. Eric A. Goold, Salisbury; SX6829 L-Cpl. Clement R. P. Billing, Pinnaroo; SX10501 Pte. Hedley K. Bonython, Burnside; SX7591 Cpl. Jack S. Bowers, Unley; SX7666 Pte. Eric J. Chuck, Kalangadoo; SX8810 Pte. Havard (Howard) R. Crabb, Whyalla; SX13683 Pte. Sydney L. Farrell Broken Hill: SX7657 Pte. Myers A. Geraghy, Pt . Macdonnell; SX7266 Sgt. Neil Gilchrist, Balaklava; SX9376 Pte. Harold H. Gogel, Moorook; SX11131 Pte. H. N. Headon, Adelaide; SX7642 Pte Donald J. Kerin, Burra; SX8837 Pte. Edgar V. W. Lynch, Adelaide; SX9445 Pte. Lawerence H. Mickan, Cummins; SX7025 A-L/Cpl. Paul B. Morrissey King's Park; SX9530 Pte. David R. Munn, Colonel Light Gardens: SX5030 Pte. Eric R. Olds, Adelaide; SX8239 Pte. Colin R. Parsons, Minlaton; SX8904 Pte. Keith Player, Warooka; SX6915 Cpl. Glyn H. Pope, Cheltenham; SX13012 Pte. Jack Ralla, Brompton; SX7410 Cpl. Robert F. G. Ranford, Davington; SX14283 Pte. John D Seebohm, Tantanoola; SX11302 Pte. Walter Sharp, Magill; SX7206 Pte. Ronald. C. Smith, Helmsdale; SX6894 Pte. Thomas V. Trish, Mile End; SX7221 Pte. William H. Vivian, Albert Park; SX7689 Pte. John E. Wakeman, Robe; SX11160 Pte. Samuel E. Welsh, Adelaide and SX7808 Sgt, Jack K. Weston, Appila.
The November issue of the Advertiser added to the detail given when Ron was wounded in ’41. ‘Mrs. Hilda Smith, of Augusta street, Helmsdale, has been notified that her husband, Sig. Ronald C. Smith, has been wounded in action in Egypt. Sig. Smith enlisted in July, 1940, and left for overseas in the following November. He has served in Palestine, Libya, Syria, and also Tobruk, where he was wounded last year. Sig. Smith is the second son of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Smith, of Helmsdale, and before enlistment was employed at MacFarlane's, Rundle street.’
Ron was able to re-join the 2/48th in November ’42 from the staging Camp. His time in the Middle East was finally coming to an end with the battalion leaving at the start of February ’43 and arriving in Australia via Melbourne.
By April ’43 Ron was detached to the HQ 21 Infantry Bde. Ron with ‘Diver’ Derrick, Captain B. R. King and L/Corporal left on a truck journey to Ravenshoe in Queensland to gain information and ideas on Jungle warfare with the 2/27th Battalion. ‘Diver’ in a diary entry on the 1st May ’43 lamented “Idle again, went with Ron Smith to ASC to see Grant Thorpe, but found he was still away, probably AWL. Had a yarn with Tup Foreman.” A week later, Derrick wrote “Left (Ravenshoe) at 0830 to go to 48 BN, Grant, Ron Smith, Eddie Day accompanying me, arrived there at 1340. Returned at 2230.” Just a week later, the entry for Sunday 16th May ’43 was “Dodged church parade for a little spine exercise. With Ron Smith journeyed to 7th Div AASC (Australian Army Service Corps) to see Grant Thorpe, returned for evening dinner.” By the 22nd May, the 2/48th War Diary mentioned that Captain King Derrick, H.W. Johnston and Pte R.C. Smith (Sigs) returned from 21 Aust Infantry Brigade ‘where they have been att (attached) in order to exchange trg (training) methods.’
Soon after, Ron left Cairns for Milne Bay in New Guinea. There his battalion would face a very different enemy in tropical conditions. An indication of Ron’s health was the return of tonsillitis in December ’43. An extremely high fever (Pyroxia of Unknown Origin, PUO) was soon followed by Dengue fever, causing Ron to be evacuated. By February the following year Ron left from Port Moresby, returning to Australia via Brisbane. With malaria returning, Ron recuperated in the Kapara Convalescent Home in Glenelg. This facility provided care and accommodation for injured servicemen. Ron then joined the 2/43rd Australian Cypher Section in July ’44 and was promoted to A/Corporal, then Corporal in December. Unfortunately, his malaria continued to flare.
In May ’45 Ron arrived in Morotai then moved to British North Borneo for three months before returning permanently to Australia where he was discharged on the 30th October ’45.
For Ron, in the ensuing years he caught up with fellow soldier, Sam Starling. With time, Ron shared that events were a bit hazy and he didn’t remember that much. Sam, however, recalled the horrific clarity of advancing in the face of a withering attack. Ron echoed the sentiments of so many of those who returned. “Every day of my life I think how lucky I was to survive.”
Hilda died on the 22nd August ’73 aged 57. She was initially buried in the SA Garden of Remembrance at Centennial Park North South, Rose bed NS25 in plot 49. Ron lived to be 78 and died on the 6th August ’93. His ashes were placed alongside Hilda in plot 50.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.