Hugh Henry Smith
From Our Contribution
 Western Mail 3 Dec 1915 p.23 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth |
unknown "unknown" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Birth | West Perth, Western Australia |
| Death |
not known "not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Death | not known |
| Age at Enlistment | 19 years, 4 months |
| Description |
5'9" (1.75m) tall ; 166 lbs 75.296 kg ; fair complexion ; brown eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | NOK Busselton, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr H Smith |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2026 |
| Date of Enlistment | 13 Feb 1915 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 11th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement allotted to D Coy (3rd Brigade, 1st Division). Transferred to the 48th Battalion / 12th Brigade, 4th Division. |
| Date of Embarkation |
26 Apr 1915 ‒ unknown "unknown" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A20 Hororata |
| Date of Return | 4 Jan 1919 ‒ 12 Feb 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | HMT Morvada |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 8 Aug 1918 at Amiens Returned to Australia |
| Monument |
Kelmscott War Memorial (South panel) Roleystone Honour Board |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
War Service
The only match for the HH Smith on the Kelmscott Memorial. Enlisted in Busselton. A week after entering Blackboy Hill camp, Hugh was allocated to the 5th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion.
Taken on strength by the 11th Battalion at Gallipoli on 16 Jun 1915 and posted to 'D' Company. On 13 Sep he was treated by the 3rd Field Ambulance for pyrexia and sent on 13 Sep 1915 to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Transferred by hospital ship to Mudros for treatment by the 25th Casualty Clearing Station. They in turn forwarded him on to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis, Egypt via HMHS Formosa to Port Said, arriving on 21 Sep 1915. His treatment card indicates he was a patient for 44 days before his release on 3 Nov 1915.
Appears not to have made it back to Gallipoli before the withdrawal, and is one of the men 'donated' to the newly formed 48th Battalion, joining them on 25 Apr 1916. On 27 May 1916 the battalion packed up at Serapeum and 1 Jun 1916 entrained for Alexandria where they boarded HMT Caledonia on the 3rd for Marseilles, disembarking on 9 Jun 1916 and entrained for the front which they reached in the early morning of 12 Jun 1916.
Hospitalised in France 27 Jun to 10 Jul 1916, and again from 20 Jul 1916. His admittance to the 20th General Hospital in Camiers on 26 Jul 1916 indicated that he had a mild case of Trench Feet. Hugh rejoined the 48th Battalion on 1 Oct 1916.
While in England on leave in early Jan 1917 he was again hospitalised, and then ran foul of Military Law. On 9 Jan 1917 he was charged with being AWOL in Perham Downs for 4 hours, but had another man's pass and was therefore awarded 7 days detention on top of the 5 days he had been in custody awaiting trial. On his release he reported to No 4 Command Depot in Wareham, and there, he again went AWOL, this time for 12 days, resulting in him being awarded 8 days detention to go with the 2 already served and loss of pay for 23 days.
Things went downhill from here, with the next charges being for resisting an escort and striking a superior officer. The Court Martial awarded 6 months detention, and the forfeit of 205 days pay. Hugh had his sentence cut short by 52 days and he returned to France via Southampton on 17 Sep 1917.
He joined the 48th again on 24 Oct 1917, and on 22 Dec 1917 took an extra 2 hours leave, with the subsequent loss of 7 days pay. At a Field General Court Martial on 27 Jan 1918 (his second) he was charged with drunkenness on 31 Dec 1917, and offering violence the same day. Found guilty, he was sentenced to 9 months in custody on top of the 27 days awaiting trial and the loss of 300 day's pay. On 18 Jun 1918 the rest of his sentence was suspended and he returned to duty, rejoining the 48th Battalion on 25 Jun 1917.
On 8 Aug 1918 near Proyart he received a bullet wound to his left hand and was evacuated to England on the 11th, where he was admitted to the Fort Pitt Military Hospital in Chatham. The War Diary does not record any contact with the enemy that day. Evacuated to England. It appears that he remained in England, as on 6 Dec 1918 he was found guilty of being away from his base without a leave pass. Hugh was discharged by the 5th Military District on 22 Apr 1919.
Post War
In 1925 Hugh seeks assistance from the Repatriation Commission for a hernia suffered at Gallipoli. No mention of this injury in his records.
Electoral Roll entries - The only entry is for 1925 at Throssell street, Collie, sealer
Notes