SMITH, Arnold Carter
| Service Number: | 1516 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Railway Unit (AIF) |
| Born: | Mount Gambier, South Australia, 5 December 1890 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway station master |
| Died: | Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia, 28 November 1968, aged 77 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Mitcham Cemetery, S.A. |
| Memorials: | Plympton North Richmond Baptist Church Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 1516, Railway Unit (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked Sergeant, 1516, Railway Unit (AIF), HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne |
Help us honour Arnold Carter Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Kathleen Bambridge
He was awarded his Military Medal on 6 March 1920 by General Birdwood while he was visiting Adelaide.
Biography contributed by David Cowan
Contributed by David Cowan (a close relative)
Arnold worked before and after the Great War for the South Australian Railways as did his father, two uncles and other family members.
Arnold enlisted in the Australian Army on 28 November 1916 and was given the rank of Sergeant in the Railway Unit, Section 4. His unit embarked for Europe from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on the ship HMAT A9 ''Shropshire'' on 11 May 1917. He returned to Australia on 1 July 1919 with the rank of Sergeant in the 4th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company.
Arnold and two other Non Commissioned Officers in the 4th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company were awarded the Military Medal for their conduct on either 21 March 1918 or 22 March 1918.
The following is the official statement of recommendation for Arnold as viewed on The Australian War Memorial website:
'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was responsible for the removal from Villers Faucon on the 21st March, 1918, of three 9.2 inch rail mounted guns under severe shell fire, and also supervised the evacuation of wounded from the Casualty Clearing Stations. He also remained behind and removed the equipment from these C.C. Stations. Further he remained with an engine standing on a train of ammunition while it was being off-loaded, and during the whole period was under shell fire.'
The award was made in France on 17 April 1918 with official announcements published in "The London Gazette" in the United Kingdom on 27 June 1918 and in "The Commonwealth of Australia Gazette" in Australia on 27 November 1918.
Arnold was unable to receive his medal personally from the King due to inability to obtain leave. Instead, the medal was posted to his mother in South Australia. It appears that he was personally given his medal by General Birdwood during an official ceremony at the Parade Ground in Adelaide, South Australia.
Sources:
The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=278025 (www.aif.adfa.edu.au)
The Australian War Memorial, Honours and Awards (Recommendation) for 4th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company - https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068712/document/5514215.PDF (s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com)
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 27 November - http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232462909 (nla.gov.au)
The National Archives of Australia, Smith Arnold Carter : SERN 1516 : POB Mount Gambier SA : POE Adelaide SA : NOK M Smith Isabel - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1760513 (recordsearch.naa.gov.au)
"GENERAL BIRDWOOD" in The Advertiser of 6 March 1920 - http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73349004 (nla.gov.au)(Please refer list that follows this article)
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