SMITH, John Scanes
(Service number 63065)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Rifleman |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 27/08/1894 | Place of Birth | Newton St Cyres, Devon, England |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | High Street, Waimate; Hills Station, Mairi via Fairlie | ||
| Occupation | Shepherd | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single, then married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs O. SMITH (wife), care of J. Hyde, High Street, Waimate | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 36th Reinforcements, A Company | ||
| Date | 23 April 1918 | ||
| Transport | Willochra | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Southampton, Hampshire, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
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 July 1979 | Age | 84 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Christchurch | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Scanes Smith was born on 27 August 1894 at Newton St Cyres, Devon, England, the son of William Midday and Caroline (Kate, née Scanes). In 1901 and 1911 John was at home in London with his parents, recorded as an apprentice dentist in 1911. He emigrated to New Zealand in about 1914, having been here three years when he enlisted at Timaru on 21 July 1917. He worked on his uncle Frederick George Scanes’ farm, “Howell Downs”, Dairlie, South Canterbury. He was listed on the Reserve Rolls in 1916 – farmer, 37 Matilda Street, Timaru. On enlistment he was single, his address High Street, Waimate. The address was later amended to Hills Station, Mairi via Fairlie. John Scanes Smith married Olga Esther King on 8 August 1917 at Waimate. His wife – Mrs O. Smith, care of Mr Hyde, High Street, Waimate – was his next-of-kin. The first of their three daughters was born in 1918 before John embarked.
Private J. S. Smith embarked with the 36th Reinforcements, leaving from Wellington for Southampton, England, by the “Willochra” on 23 April 1918. One of 968 men in Returning Draft No. 273, J. S. Smith, of Waimate, returned to New Zealand by the “Somerset” which was due at Lyttelton on or about 12 August 1919.
After the war both John and Olga were in the Waimate district, but by 1922 they had moved to Christchurch. From 8 May 1924 until 12 February 1939, he was a conductor for the tramways. In 1946 Olga petitioned for divorce. A decree nisi was granted but was rescinded in 1955 on John’s application. Olga remarried in 1956 and died in 1971. John Scanes Smith died on 12 July 1979 at Christchurch, aged 84 years. Two of his uncles were listed on the New Zealand Reserve Rolls for World War One – John Copplstone Scanes and Frederick George Scanes (also known as Saville).
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [09 August 2021]; 1901 & 1911 England census returns (ancestry.com.au) [12 August 2021]; Otago Daily Times, 6 August 1919, Press, 14 August 1946, 3 December 1955, 2 June 1956 (Papers Past) [08 August 2021; 02 June 2022]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.