Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Archibald SMITH (Archie)

Military Medal

'On 12th October, 1917, East of YPRES, for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in action. This N.C.O. worked in the open at the R.A.P. under constant intense shell fire directing traffic, controlling and organising prisoners for stretcher bearing and generally assisted in the care and evacuation of the wounded. During the whole time, he worked with an utter disregard for his own safety and by his cheerfulness and confidence did much to reassure the wounded under very trying circumstances.'

Date of recommendation: 20 October 1917                             Source:  Commonwealth of Australia Gazette  27 June 1918 on page 1394 at position 41

Bendigonian (Bendigo, Vic. : 1914 - 1918)  Thu 21 Feb 1918  Page 4  PRIVATE ARCHIE SMITH. PRIVATE ARCHIE SMITH.

Eaglehawk residents who remember Mr. J. S. Smith, as curator of Canterbury Park, Eaglehawk, will be interested to know the part which his two sons, Andrew and Archie, have been playing in the war. The first rapidly gained promotion, and is now lieutenant. The second-named lad joined the 5th Battalion early in the war, was through the landing at Gallipoli, Lone

Pine and Cape Helles, where he was invalided home from severe shell shock. Subsequently he was again in hospital suffering from trench feet, and his father, who now resides at Richmond, received word of his having been awarded a Military Medal, with the following account of how it was won:—"The decorations to those below commissioned rank in the A.I.F. are well and truly earned before they are awarded, and never was a medal more richly deserved.

His conduct, which was during a phase of the greatest battle the world has ever seen, was magnificent. He was stationed with the doctor at the advanced aid post, and his duty was to keep the traffic clear so that cases could be quickly cleared away, and he also had to collect prisoners, who were sent back, and send them on to the compound. During the whole battle the A.A. post was heavily shelled. One shell landed just outside and killed two of Archie's men and wounded for the second

time a number of men whose first wounds had already been bandaged. Without hesitation and in spite of the continued shelling, Archie commenced to bandage up those men and get them away. Stretcher bearers were short, but he organised a number of German prisoners into bearing parties, and got the congestion cleared in that way. No praise is too high for his work."[1]

Archie Smith enlisted just two weeks after war had been declared. He was 19 years of age and the family had just arrived in Melbourne after growing up in Eaglehawk. Archie gave his address as the ‘People’s Metropole’ in King street Melbourne a well-known lodging house run by the Salvation Army to those in need and people from the country. The non drinking requirement of the Salvation Army would also be an influence to young Baptist lad as the temperance movement was especially strong at this time.

Archie would go into camp at Broadmeadows with the newly formed 5th Battalion and he would embark in October in the first flotilla of ships carrying Expeditionary troops. Their destination was the fight against Germany in Belgium and France however, orders came as they passed into the Suez Canal to disembark in Egypt. Their would be an ordeal to survive before he would see Europe.

The 5th Battalion took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915, as part of the second wave. Ten days after the landing the 2nd Brigade was transferred from ANZAC to Cape Helles to help in the attack on the village of Krithia. The attack captured little ground but cost the brigade almost a third of its strength.

Archie would be made Lance Corporal in early May then Corporal three weeks later such was the attrition. He himself would be wounded here (suffering serious shell shock)  be and invalided to London for recuperation. He would rejoin the 5th in northern France in August 1916 and serve a full year with them. In August 1917 he would be transferred to his brother Andrew’s Battalion made up of many Bendigo and Northern District men. He would be promoted to Sergeant for his heroic actions on October 12, 1917 at the dreadful battle of Passchendaele. He would survive heavy and continuous fighting in 1918 and return to England following the signing of the Armistice. He would marry Warminster girl Gladys Evelyn Stubbs aged 22 on December 18, 1918 and both return to Australia in June 1919. 

SERVICE DETAILS: 

Regimental No. 105
Place of birth: Eaglehawk 1896
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Driver
Address: c/o Peoples Metropole, King Street, Melbourne
Marital status: Single
Age at enlistment: 19
Next of kin: Father, J S Smith, c/o Peoples Metropole, King Street, Melbourne, Victoria
Enlistment date 19 August 1914
Rank on enlistment Private
Unit name 5th Battalion, A Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number 23/22/1
Embarkation details Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A3 Orvieto on 21 October 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll Sergeant
Unit from Nominal Roll 37th Battalion
Fate Returned to Australia 10 May 1919

 'On 12th October, 1917, East of YPRES’.

In the History of the 37th Battalion the author N. G McNicol can be contain his anger in Chapter 12 titled – The tragedy and bitterness of Passchendaele.

‘About 3 a.m. rain began to fall steadily and in the sodden shell-holes the waiting men became wet and chilled to the bone. To make matters worse, heavy shells began to fall just in rear of our position. Huddled together in small groups, silent, thoughtful, and miserable, men needed all their powers of endurance that night. Who shall say what thoughts chased through their minds as the minutes ticked off to the dawn of another day on the blood-soaked field of Passchendaele. As "zero" hour, 5.25 a.m. drew near, the battalion began to bestir itself and quietly to get into formation for the advance.

On the medical staff and stretcher bearers such as Archie Smith ‘To make matters worse enemy shell-fire was often heavy. The medical staff worked without a care for themselves. In that terrible mud two men did not suffice to handle a stretcher. It often took eight strong men all they could do to carry one wounded patient, consequently even the extra stretcher-bearers allotted for the battle operations were quite inadequate, and every man that could possibly be spared from front line duty was pressed into service. No praise could be too high for all these men. They cared not at all for bullets, shells, or mud, if they could help a comrade in distress. After the withdrawal from the first objective many seriously wounded men remained out in front of the new line. It is to the credit of the enemy that he refrained from firing on parties searching the shell-holes for wounded. There was some decency even on that frightful battlefield’. [2]

[1] Bendigonian (Bendigo, Vic. : 1914 - 1918)  Thu 21 Feb 1918  Page 4  PRIVATE ARCHIE SMITH.
[2] N.G. McNicol, The Thirty-Seventh: History of the 37th Battalion A.I.F., (Melbourne: Modern Printing Company, 1936). P. 155