Joseph William Smith

Joseph William Smith

Ancestry.com
Personal Information
Date of Birth	unknown Feb 1881
Place of Birth	East Horndon, Essex, England
Death	4 Aug 1931
Place of Death	Katanning, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	36 years, 4 months
Description	5' 7 1/2" (1.71m) tall ; 158 lbs 71.668 kg ; fresh complexion ; grey eyes ; dark brown hair
Occupation	Shop assistant
Religion	Church of England
Address	Sixth road, Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Edith May Marion Smith
Military Information
Reg Number	2899
Date of Enlistment	8 Oct 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	39th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement / 10th Brigade, 3rd Division
Date of Embarkation	29 Dec 1916 ‒ 3 Mar 1917
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A34 Persic
Date of Return	24 Jan 1919 ‒ 18 Feb 1919
Ship Returned On	HMHS Delta
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Armadale panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Joseph William Smith

Headstone Information
Date of Birth	Not known
Additional Names	Edith May Marion Smith Roy Joseph Austen-Smith Murray Austen-Smith
Transcription	In Loving Memory of JOSEPH, beloved husband of Edith Smith fond father of Joyce, Phyllis and Roy. Died 4 August 1931. Peacefully Sleeping. Here Rests Also EDITH. Died 2 November 1956.

Pre War

Joseph married Edith May Marion Brunswick (died 2 Nov 1956) in Essex in 1904. Children were Joyce (b. 1906); Phyllis (b. 1908); Maria Aylmore (b.1908); and a son Roy. Electoral Roll entries 1914 - 1916 Joseph William Smith, Armadale, labourer.

War Service

Found fit for service on 8 Oct 1916, but entered training at Blackboy Hill camp on 1 Nov 1916. A month later he was allocated to the 6th reinforcement for the 39th Battalion, a Victorian unit which had trained at Ballarat before going overseas.

With only minimum training, he was despatched to England. On arrival in England he spent a brief period in Sutton Manderville before being posted to the 10th Training Battalion at Durrington, and a month later 29 Apr 1917 to the 67th Battalion at Windmill Hill, Perham Downs.

Arrived in France on 19 Sep 1917, and he was taken on the strength of the 39th Battalion on 8 Oct 1917. On 29 Jun 1918 he reported ill with an infection to the 10th Field Ambulance and was passed to the 47th Casualty Clearing Station the same day. Transferred on 4 Jul 1918 to the 4th Army Convalescent Depot before rejoining the battalion on 13 Jul 1918.

Seen by the 9th Field Ambulance on 31 Aug 1918, and the next day by the 61st Casualty Clearing Station, he was admitted to the 11th Stationary Hospital in Rouen with severe myalgia on 1 Sep 1918. On 5 Sep 1918 he was shipped back to England aboard HMHS Carisbrook Castle where he entered the Voluntary Aid Hospital in Cheltenham before being transferred to the 2nd Southern General Hospital in Bristol on 6 Sep 1918. Transferred again, this time to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on 28 Oct 1918, he was sent on furlough from 30 Oct - 13 Nov 1918.

Invalided home due to Myalgia, and discharged by the 5th Military District on 6 Apr 1919.

"Enlisted 1st November, 1916, and sailed with the 6th reinforcements of the 39th Battalion, 29th December, 1916."

Post War

Electoral Roll entries list Joseph and Edith as living in Armadale in 1925, and more precisely at Sixth Road in Armadale at the time of his death in 1931. He was the Manager of the Armadale-Kelmscott Co-Operative Stores and was invloved with many local organisations including the Poultry Farmers' Association and the Parents and Citizens Association.

Joseph and Edith were both buried in the Kelmscott Cemetery (Edith died in 1956 aged 73).

Notes

Some records state Smith was born in 1881 while others state 1880. Regarding Mr Smith's death, it occurred on 14 August 1931 rather than 4 August 1931 which is the erroneous date inscribed on his shared gravestone at St Mary's.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial