OWEN SMYTH, Arthur Gaynor
| Service Numbers: | S871, SX20128 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 August 1942, Frankston, VIC |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | Royal Field Artillery |
| Born: | Kensington, South Australia, Australia, 24 August 1888 |
| Home Town: | Kensington, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St Peters College, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | South Australia, Australia, 3 June 1970, aged 81 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia Cremation Only |
| Memorials: | Hackney St Peter's College Honour Board |
World War 2 Service
| 7 Aug 1942: | Involvement Major, SX20128 | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Aug 1942: | Involvement Major, S871 | |
| 7 Aug 1942: | Enlisted Frankston, VIC | |
| 8 Aug 1949: | Discharged |
World War 1 Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement Royal Field Artillery |
|---|
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Capt. Owen Smyth
Information has been received from England that Lieut. Arthur Gaylor Owen Smyth, of the Royal Field Artillery, attached to the Indian Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia, has been gazetted (September) 25 captain on the General Headquarters Staff. Capt. Owen Smyth was not 20 until October 2 of this year. Before leaving St. Peter's College at Christmas 1915, he played in the college first eleven. He left for England a little later to join the Imperial Army, and after several months' severe training in the Royal Artillery School for Officers at Exeter, he was gazetted a second-lieutenant on August 21, 1916 in the Royal Field Artiller. He proceeded at once to Frnace, where he saw service on the Somme. Later he was invalided to England, and was attached to the Royal Horse Artillery at a training camp near Canterbury, and was transferred to the Mesopotamian forces in May of this year. The young officer is the only surviving son of Mr and Mrs Owen Smyth, of Egryn, Kensington Park. His elder brother the late Lieutenant Trevor Owen Smyth was killed in action at Gallipoli on May 11, 1915.
Biography
Arthur Gaynor Owen Smyth (1897-1970) was the second son of Charles Edward Owen Smyth (1851-1925) and Bessie Sanderson Davidson. They lived in fashionable Kensington Park, South Australia, at a property called "Egryn".
Arthur joined the Royal Artillery in April 1916 direct from St. Peters College, and saw service on the Somme the same year. Later he served in Mesopotamia, where he became a staff captain.
In1939, Arthur married Lillie Margaret Melrose (1891-1970), daughter of late Sir John Melrose (1860-1938). They lived on a family property called "Ulooloo" just north of Hallet in the Mid North region of South Australia. They had no children.
He was an excellent sportsman and a gentleman with a genial manner.
His older brother, Trevor Owen Smyth, of the 10th Battalion, A.I.F., was killed at Gallipoli on May 11, 1915.
Reference:
"Death of Mr Owen Smyth", Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Saturday 10 October 1925, page 18
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smyth-charles-edward-owen-8565
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Smyth, Charles Edward Owen (1851–1925)
Charles Edward Owen Smythe and his brother Reverend Arthur Owen Smyth (1857-1890) were born in Ferrybank, Kilkenny, Ireland, to Stephen Smyth and Emma Gaynor nee Owen