SMYTHE, Percy Ellesmere
| Service Number: | 2461 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Winton, Victoria, Australia, January 1893 |
| Home Town: | Kogarah, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Jerilderie Public School |
| Occupation: | Electrician |
| Died: | Denistone, New South Wales, Australia, 23 June 1966, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, NSW GARDEN FO 61 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 10 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2461, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2461, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 14 Jul 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2461, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Sep 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Mar 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 61st Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Oct 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Nov 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Jun 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 3 Nov 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 3 Jun 1919: | Honoured Military Cross, Mont St Quentin / Peronne, 2nd Lt Smythe was awarded the Military Cross (MC) on 1 February 1919 at Mt St Quentin near Peronne during the operations on 1 September 1918 when he displayed marked courage. |
Help us honour Percy Ellesmere Smythe's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Percy Ellesemete Smythe MC (1893-1966)
Percy was one of four Smythe brothers who served in WW1. He was born in January 1893 at Winton in Victoria.
By the time of his enlistment he had qualified as an electrician, and was resident with his mother Mrs Annie Smythe McDonald Street in Kogarah, an inner susburb of Sydney
In the years leading up to the war, he served 2 years 2 months with 27th Inf. Reg.
He enlisted on 11 May 1915, and embarked for Middle East with 7th Reinforcements, 3rd Infantry Battalion on 14 July 1915 on the "Orsova". Perce was 'taken on strength' in the 3rd Battalion. at Gallipoli on 2 September 1915, but was evacuated to Malta with pneumonia on 24 September 1915. Later, he rejoined his unit at Tel-el-Kebir and proceeded to France in March 1916. In October 1916, he was transferred to the 24th Battalion ( A Victorian Battalion in the 2nd Division).
After a period of service in France, he developed severe bronchitis and was sent to hospital in Birmingham, England. After he recovered, he returned to the front and was 'taken on strength' in the Officers Cadet Battalion in England and promoted to 2nd Lieut. After rejoining the 24th Battalion, he saw action at Mont St. Quentin in September 1918, where he was awarded the Military Cross. He was promoted to Full Lieutenant before the Armistice and returned to Australia on 22 August, 1919.
Percy kept a detailed journal of his service life spanning 1915-1919. This covered events prior to his enlistment, as well as his service abroad in Gallipoli, France and Belgium. Percy continued this documentation until his return to Australia on 13 October 1919. His daughter Betty Smythe transcribed the diaries containing this journal to computer, prior to donating them to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It is available online and also on C.D. for anyone who is interested.
This series of diary accounts are a valuable source of primary information (especially for those who are researching the 3rd, 24th and 56th Battalions), as they give details of the battles from the perspective of a soldier who served on the front lines. Percy mentions so many of his comrades by name with details of their actions and in many cases, of how, when and where they died.
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