SMITH, Charles Sidney
| Service Numbers: | H1688, 41688 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 July 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Engine Room Artificer IV |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Canberra (I) |
| Born: | Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 14 April 1911 |
| Home Town: | Launceston, Launceston, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | launceston Church Grammar School, Tasmania, Australian |
| Occupation: | Boiler Maker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Savo Island, Solomon Islands, Pacific Islands, 9 August 1942, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave (at sea), Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Plymouth Naval Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Jul 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Engine Room Artificer IV, H1688, HMAS Cerberus (Shore), Hobart, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Petty Officer, H1688 | |
| 9 Aug 1942: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Engine Room Artificer IV, 41688, HMAS Canberra (I) |
My grandfather
My father Alastair Colin Smith is the son of Charles Sidney Smith, he didn’t get to meet his father as the HMAS Canberra that he was on was sunk, he had just been on leave and my father was late being born and he had to go back on the HMAS Canberra, I believe that word got to him that he had a son, my dad was only 4 months old, my dad had 3 older sisters, he was the youngest, my grandfather believed it was his duty to go and serve in the war, I am forever grateful and blessed that he did this. I often wonder what it would have been like to have met him. As I get older, I often think of my dad growing up not knowing his father and what it would have been like. My dad has been very knowledgeable without having his dad around. He also had his mum Janet Annie Smith pass away, she was only 56, my dad was just 20 years old. My dad is now 83 years old, he has had a wonderfully blessed life. He still has 2 of his sisters that are alive, they have lived on mainland Australia most of their adult life. My dad has lived in Tasmania all his life.
My 2 eldest grand daughters wore my grandfathers medals in the Anzac Day March this year for their school and 2 of my grandfather believed it sons also walked. I do tell them about my grandfather Charles Sidney Smith.
Submitted 22 October 2025 by Selena Pitt
Biography
Charles Sidney Smith was the youngest of nine children born to Dr Phillip Douglas Smith and Mrs Emily Smith (nee Lowry) of Launceston Tasmania.
He died in the battle of Savo Sound on 9 August 1942 when the Australian cruiser "Canberra", on which he was Engine Room Officer, was badly damaged when she came under heavy Japanese fire commencing at 0136 hours. She was ablaze from stem to stern and could not be saved. She eventually had to be sunk by friendly torpedo fire as she was lighting up allied vessels to the advantage of the attacking Japanese.
An account of the battle of Savo Sound can be read in chapter 8, "Guadalcanal: First Allied Offensive" of the book "The War With Japan - A Concise History" by Charles Bateson. It was first published in Australia in 1968 by Ure Smith Pty Ltd, National Library of Australia Registry Nc. Aus 67-942, Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 67-28116.
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