SOLDIER RESEARCH
Soldier’s Name
Lewis William Smith
Rank
Private
Service
Number
Regiment/Unit
or Ship or
Squadron
Place of Birth
4515
Date of Birth
January 1881
Place of
Enlistment
Age at
Enlistment
Family Details
(Next of kin,
Gladstone
married or single,
names of mother,
father or wife)
George Smith (father)
Date of Death
5 November 1916
Place of Death
Somme Valley
Cemetery or
Memorial
Name
Grave or
Memorial
Number
Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux
11th Reinforcements, 26th Battalion
Gympie
34
Single
Sarah Smith (mother)
Pte Lewis Smith
No. 4515 – 26th Battalion
Lewis William Smith was born to Gladstone parents George and Sarah Smith in January 1881. After
moving to Gympie and attending school, Lewis became a farm labourer. He maintained this
occupation up until his enlistment on 4 November 1915. On his attestation paper, Lewis stated that
his mother, Sarah Smith, was his next of kin and that he had no previous military experience.
According to his medical exam, Lewis was 5 foot, 9 and a half inches high, weighed 158 pounds and
had a dark complexion. He was found fit for active service by a medical officer. On 30 May 1916,
Lewis boarded the H.T. Tunisian heading for the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
According to his Active Service form, he arrived in Egypt on the 9June 1916. Two months later, after
being assigned to the 11th Reinforcements to the 26th Battalion, Lewis proceeded to join the 2nd
Division unit in France. By the time he joined his unit on 2 August 1916, the 26th Battalion was
engaged in the Battle of Pozieres.
Pozieres was a small village located in the Somme valley, originally taken from German troops by the
A.I.F 1st Division on the 23 July 1916. The 1st division struggled to hold the village after continuous
artillery fire and counter attacks, but were eventually relieved by the 2nd Division, including the 26th
Battalion. Lewis Smith joined his unit in the middle of mass attempts to defend Pozieres. By the time
the 2nd Division was relieved from Pozieres, it had lost close to 7,000 soldiers.
The 26th Battalion continued fighting in the Somme Valley throughout 1916. Whilst fighting in the
cold and wet conditions with his unit on 5 November 1916, Private Lewis William Smith was killed in
action during an unsuccessful attempt to capture enemy trenches near the French village of Flers.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to find Lewis’ body and he is today commemorated on the
Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
His father, George was notified of his son’s tragic loss and received his belongings on 13 August
1917, nine months after Lewis’ death. The package contained Lewis’ wallet, some letters, a few
photos and a belt. Five years later in 1922, George and Sarah Smith were sent a memorial plaque for
their son, and another year later, inherited a victory medal Lewis had earned overseas.
SOURCES /BIBLIOGRAPHY
Australian War Memorial (2014) 26th Battalion Accessed 17/1/14,
http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11213.asp
Australian War Memorial (2014) Roll of Honour – Pte Lewis William Smith Accessed 15/1/14
http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1661718/
Mapping our ANZACS (2013) Digital Images of NAA:B2455, SMITH L W,. Dated 4/11/1915 Accessed
16/1/14 http://mappingouranzacs.naa.gov.au/file-view.html?b=1786318&s=B2455&c=SMITH
National Archives of Australia (2014) Personal Service Records Item Details for: B2455, SMITH L W.
Published 31st May 1996 Accessed 16/1/14
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp Accessed 16/1/13
Wikipedia (updated 31 December, 2013) 26th Battalion (Australia) Accessed 17/1/14
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26th_Battalion_(Australia)Medical Form
National Archives of Australia, WW1 Soldier Details series B2455, Smith, Lewis William. Medical form,
dated 2 November 1915. Accessed 16/1/13
Field Service Record
National Archives of Australia, WW1 Soldier Details series B2455, Smith, Lewis William. Field Service
record, dated 16 January 1917. Accessed 16/1/13
National Archives of Australia, WW1 Soldier Details series B2455, Smith, Lewis William. Casualty FormActive Service, dates vary from 4/11/1915 to 11/11/16. Accessed 16/1/13
National Archives of Australia, WW1 Soldier Details series B2455, Smith, Lewis William. Attestation
Paper, dated 4/11/1915. Accessed 16/1/13