Charles Burston SMITH
Year of Birth: 1893
Place of Birth: Charters Towers, Qld
Date of Enlistment: 15 December 1914
Date and Place of Embarkation: 13 February 1915 Brisbane
Ship: HMAT Seang Bee A48
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 4th Infantry Brigade, 15th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements
Regimental Number: 1395
Died: 1 February 1917
Charles Burston Smith was born 22 November 1893, the sixth child and youngest son of George Herbert Smith (1856 – 1932) and Ann (Annie) McAlpine (1856 – 1927). His siblings were Jane (b. 1883), Florence (b. 1885), William (b. 1887), George (b. 1889), Emily (b. 1891), Gladys (b. 1897) and Minnie (b. 1900).
Charles was just 21 when he enlisted in Cairns on 15 December 1915. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 137 lbs with a dark complexion, grey eyes and black hair. He was Presbyterian. His occupation was Grocer and he named his father, Mr G.H. Smith of Ryan Street, Charters Towers as his next of kin.
He was working for J. & P. Pease, general merchants of Lake Street, Cairns when he enlisted.
He embarked from Brisbane on 13 February 1915 on the HMAT Seang Bee A48 and landed at Gallipoli on 12 April 1915.
He was wounded in action on 14 May 1915 and admitted to hospital both at Mudros and Heliopolis several times over the next several months.
He wrote home to his brother William reporting on his health and eagerness to return to his unit.
He was discharged and rejoined his battalion at Tel el Kebir, Egypt in March 1916 where the A.I.F. had a training centre for the reinforcements.
On 1 June 1916 he left Alexandria, Egypt and disembarked at Marseilles, France and was appointed Lance Corporal on 19 August 1916 and promoted to Corporal on 23 October 1916.
He was reported wounded and missing on 1 February 1917 and is remembered on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
On 9 April 1917 a Miss Winifred Wilson from South Hampstead, London, wrote to the Australian Record Office seeking information about Cpl Smith saying he was “a great friend of mine” and “a dear friend”.
On 10 May 1917 his death was reported in his hometown, Charters Towers:
Online Resources
National Archives of Australia
NAA: B2455, SMITH, C.B.
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
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