SMITH, Matthew John
(Service number 78256)
| First Rank | Trooper | Last Rank | Trooper |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 06/07/1897 | Place of Birth | Seaddown |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 3 October 1917 | Age | 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Seadown, Temuka | ||
| Occupation | Farm labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Territorials (2nd Regt) - still serving | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Matthew SMITH (father), Seadown, Temuka, South Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 42nd Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles Brigade | ||
| Date | 11 October 1918 | ||
| Transport | Moeraki | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Suez, Egypt | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Mounted Rifles | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 12 November 1950 | Age | 53 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Temuka Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Matthew John Smith was born on 6 July 1897 at Seadown, the eldest son of Matthew and Cecilia (née Cunningham) Smith. Young Matthew was educated at Seadown School. He enlisted on 13 October 1917 at Timaru. He was serving with the Territorials (2nd Regiment). A farm labourer for his father at Seadown and single, he named his father as next-of-kin. Come 5 April 1918 and M. J. Smith was in the South Canterbury quota of the Fortieth Reinforcements who left for camp. A public send-off was held for the Temuka and district recruits on 3 April. On entering the hall, the soldiers met with an enthusiastic reception. A great range of entertainment was provided. Trooper M. J. Smith embarked for Suez, Egypt, with the Mounted Rifles Brigade on 11 October 1918, per the “Moeraki”. Matthew John Smith died on 12 November 1950 at Timaru and was buried at Temuka where a services stone marks his grave.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [21 October 2021]; Timaru Herald, 4 April 1918, Temuka Leader, 4 April 1918 (Papers Past) [20 October 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [21 October 2021]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [21 October 2021]; Temuka Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [21 October 2021]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.