SMART, Charles
(Service number 7/1142)
Notes on the original mount indicate that his mother had the certificate hand colored and framed in 1934.
(South Canterbury Museum 2017/071.01)
Notes on the original mount indicate that his mother had the certificate hand colored and framed in 1934.
(South Canterbury Museum 2017/071.01)
| First Rank | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 08/06/1889 | Place of Birth | Burkes Pass |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 15 February 1915 | Age | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Burkes Pass | ||
| Occupation | Shepherd | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Nil | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | |||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Mounted Rifles | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Machine Gun Section | ||
| Date | 13 May 1915 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 25 Tahiti | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, NZ | Destination | Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star; 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 | 31 March 1918 | Age | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Palestine | ||
| Cause | Died of wounds | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Fairlie War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
Charles, born in 1889, was the fifth child of Elijah and Mary Smart. Charles attended the Burkes Pass Primary School. He worked on many Mackenzie runs. While ploughing on Simons Hill he unearthed a Maori greenstone ornament which is now in the Canterbury Museum.
During World War One, while at Mt Cook Station he received his call-up notice. He passed over his mustering stick to Andrew Burnett, saying :I will pick this up when I return”. Sadly this was not the case as he was wounded in Palestine and died on 31 March 1918. He is buried at the Damascus War Cemetery in Syria. The walking stick, along with several others relating to the statuion, was hung in a case inside the rear entrance to the Mount Cook Station homestead until 2015 when the station was sold. The sticks are now held by the South Canterbruy Museum.
Sources
Charles Smart' on Smart-Howes family website at http://smart-howes.nz/smart-elijah/charlie/ (accessed 25 August 2016); SCRoll submission by J Willetts, 2 July 2019
External Links
Related Documents
- Lance Corporal Charles SMART by J M (Max) Willetts (pdf, 321.1 KB updated 20-Oct-2015)
- Souvenir of voyage on Troopship No 25 ex RMS Tahiti courtesy of J M Willetts (pdf, 952.0 KB updated 20-Oct-2015)
- Paybook of Lance Corporal Charles SMART courtesy of J M Willetts (pdf, 3.6 MB updated 20-Oct-2015)
- Timaru Herald 31 March 1918 (pdf, 591.6 KB updated 20-Oct-2015)
- Notes regarding the death of Charlie SMART, September 1918 (pdf, 401.6 KB updated 20-Oct-2015)
- The soldier shepherd by Thomas Mack (courtesy of J M Willetts) (pdf, 2.7 MB updated 20-Oct-2015)
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