SMITH, William
(Service number 26/1705)
| First Rank | Rifleman | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 20 July 1875 | Place of Birth | Ashburton |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 3 January 1915 | Age | 39 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Andersons B H, Palmerston North | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Harry SMITH (brother), Barber, Waimate, Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 2nd Reinforcements, 4th Battalion, H Company | ||
| Date | 1 April 1916 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 4th Battalion, NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 14 July 1973 | Age | 96 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Tuarangi Home, Ashburton | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Rangiora Lawn Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
William Smith was born on 20 July 1875 at Ashburton and died on 14 July 1973 at Ashburton. According to his personnel file, the death date and place given by the Public Trust. By the death notices in the Press and death registration, he died as Charles William Smith, at Tuarangi Home, Ashburton, the son of the late William and Mary Smith. He was 96 years and late 1st N.Z.E.F. His funeral left the Holy Name Church, Ashburton, after Requiem Mass, for the Rangiora Lawn Cemetery. The first notice had him to be buried in the Ashburton Soldiers’ Cemetery. His Will, however, directed that he be buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the Lawn Cemetery Rangiora.
When William Smith enlisted on 3 January 1915 at Trentham, he was a labourer at Palmerston North, single and Roman Catholic. He named his brother as next-of-kin – Harry Smith, barber, Waimate, Canterbury, Harry’s formal name being Henry. Rifleman W. Smith embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Reinforcements, departing from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, on 1 April 1916.
A complement of invalided soldiers returned to New Zealand by the hospital ship “Maheno”, which was expected to arrive at Wellington on 14 December 1916. The Deputy-Mayor of Waimate was advised in November 1916 that three men from the Waimate district - 26/1705 Rifleman W. Smith one of them - were returning by the Maheno and should arrive about the middle of December. His intended address was C/o H. Smith, Waimate. He was discharged on 17 February 1917, being no longer physically fit for war service on account of wounds received in action.
Charles William Smith died at Tuarangi Home, Ashburtion, where he had been a pensioner for many years. The Public Trustee was the Executor and Trustee of his Will. William bequeathed his gold watch inscribed Chas. W. Smith, to Leslie Diedrich James Smith, public accountant, Rangiora. Without more in-depth research, it is not possible to determine whether Leslie D. J. Smith was a relative or a business contact. William left the residue of his estate to the Rangiora Returned Services Association Incorporated.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [09 January 2023]; Rangiora Park Law Cemetery record (Find A Grave) [09 January 2023]; Timaru Herald, 21 November 1916, Press, 16 & 17 July 1973 (Papers Past) [09 January 2023]; Probate record (Archives NZ Collection) [09 January 2023]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [10 January 2023]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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