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, 14 April 1911 |
| Home Town: | Launceston, Launceston, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Savo Island, Solomon Islands, 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 to the Missing / Lost at Sea |
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) |
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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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