Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Duncan Campbell Smith was born on 4 January 1896 at Waimate, the fourth son of John and Mary Elizabeth (née Doel) Smith. John Smith, who came out from Scotand as a little boy with his family, married Mary Elizabeth Doel from Australia in 1887 at Waimate.

Defence Act prosecutions were pursued at the Waimate Court in mid-April 1913, for failure to register and failure to attend parades. In the case of Duncan Campbell Smith, of Maytown, Waimate, his mother appeared and “gave her boy a good character. Smith himself, wrote from Rangitata, explaining his absence. He was fined 10 shillings. Mr John Smith, Lamsdowne Settlement, offered a lamb for auction in support of the Red Cross Fund, in May 1915. It added considerably to the fund. In May 1917, Duncan Campbell Smith, a farmer of Waimate, appealed his callup. He had a farm of 265 acres. “One brother had been at the front two years, one was rejected, one married, and one 13 years of age.” He was allowed till June 26. He was a farm worker at Hook when his name was drawn in the Sixth Ballot.

On enlisting, Duncan was serving with the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment. He said that four people were dependent on him. He was single and a ploughman for his father at Lansdowne, Hook. Private D. C. Smith embarked for Liverpool per the “Corinthic” on 13 October 1917, with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment of the 30th Reinforcements. D. C. Smith returned in May 1918 with Draft 1960.

Duncan Campbell Smith married Gladys Annie Alice Mitchell in 1921. He died on 30 December 1965 at Waimate and was buried in the local cemetery, a services plaque marking his grave. Gladys was buried alongside him in 1977. John and Mary Smith, who died within a few days of each other in January 1941, are buried at Waimate. Duncan’s brother, Malcolm, who served with the British Forces, had been serving for two years when Duncan appealed. In September 1918, John Smith, Hook said he was “farming 265 acres and was the only man on his farm.” His appeal

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [29 September 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [28 September 2021]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 16 April 1913, 27 & 31 May 1915, 17 April 1917, 17 May 1917, 10 May 1918, 19 September 1918, Timaru Herald, 18 April 1917, 17 May 1917 (Papers Past) [29 September 2021]; NZ Electoral rolls (ancestry.com.au) [28 & 29 September 2021]; Waimate Lawn Cemetery headstone image (Waimate District Council) [29 September 2021]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.