SMITH, John William
| Service Numbers: | 3113A, 3113 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 July 1916, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showgrounds, Moore Park, Sydney. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 34th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Redfern, New South Wales, Australia , December 1885 |
| Home Town: | Kogarah, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Baker, Railway worker |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 2 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Aeroplane Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3113A, 63rd Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showgrounds, Moore Park, Sydney. | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan 1917: | Involvement Private, 3113, 34th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Jan 1917: | Embarked Private, 3113, 34th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Sydney | |
| 2 Sep 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 34th Infantry Battalion, Transferred from 63rd Infantry Battalion. | |
| 1 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3113A, 34th Infantry Battalion, Badly wounded by shell at Zonnebecke. Died the next day. | |
| 2 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 3113A, 34th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3113A awm_unit: 34th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-02 |
Help us honour John William Smith's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
John William Smith was born about December 1885 at Redfern. He worked for the NSW Railways.
He enlisted at the Royal Agicultural Society Showgrounds on 10th July 1916. At that time, he stated that he was a widower, and gave his mother, who also appears to have been the guardian of his child, as his next of kin. Later he married Alice, and she became the next of kin. Initially allotted to the 7th Reinforcements to the 34th Battalion he embarked HMAT ‘Anchises’ at Sydney on 24th January 1917, reaching Devonport (England) on 27th March. He must have had an infectious disease as he was put into isolation until 2nd April. He joined the 9th Training Battalion on 7th April. From there he was transferred to the 63rd Battalion on 28th April. By August, when he proceeded overseas to France, the 34th Battalion needed reinforcements, so he went to that unit rather than stay with the 63rd.
He was aken on the strength of the 34th on 2nd September 1917. He was wounded in action on 1st October. He died of those wounds the next day. Sergeant May’s account, which identified Smith as a railwayman, also includes details of his wounds and death.
‘While in supports at Zonnebecke between Sept. 29th and Oct. 4th holding the position under heavy shelling I saw a shell fall into a hole near me. I went in and found Smith badly wounded. His left arm and left leg were off. The arm from the shoulder and leg just above the knee. His left eye was out. He was conscious. He did not seem to be in great pain. He told the S/B.s to attend to the others first and turned to me and wished me the best of luck and hoped I should come out of it safely, and should he die would I go and see his wife. I saw him put on a stretcher and carried away. S/Bs H.E.Helm and J. Burns came back soon after and told me he died immediately he reached the D/S. I have seen Smith’s grave at Bavaria House, Zonnebecke.’
Smith was buried at Zonnebecke Wood, map reference Sh.28 N.E. Sq.J.2. After the war the location was found and Smith’s remains were exhumed and re-interred at Aeroplane Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium.
A pension of £2 per fortnight was granted to his widow, Alice.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
Click images to start slideshow.