Smith, Alfred Edward

3493 Private Alfred Edward Smith - 10th Light Horse Regiment

Alfred Edward Smith was born in Footscray Victoria on the 3rd February 1890 to George and Sophia Smith and was one of nine siblings.

He was educated in Victoria and after leaving school took up work as a Horse Driver.

Alfred came to Western Australia in the 1900's and was working as a Horse Driver through the state.

He was also a member of the Geraldton Rifle Club for five years.

In 1916 in Geraldton he married May Maria Shields and after their marriage they moved to Fremantle and resided at 57 Livingstone Street Beaconsfield (now 25 Livingstone). A daughter Doreen was born in South Fremantle in 1916.

On the 4th May 1917 Alfred enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force in Fremantle. He was passed as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 5 & 3/4 inches tall;

Weight - 140lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment he was sent to Claremont Showgrounds Camp and was assigned to the 30th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment. After a few months of training in WA, Alfred and his reinforcement group embarked from Fremantle aboard the transport ship HMAT Kyarra and set sail for Egypt, arriving at Suez on the 19th October 1917.

On arrival he was admitted to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital ill and spent the next few months there. In February 1918 he was returned to the reinforcement camp. On the 8th May 1918 he was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Training Camp and a week later on the 15th May 1918 was taken on strength of the 10th Light Horse Regiment. When he joined them the 10th light Horse were in the Es Salt region.

He'd only had a few weeks with the Regiment, when on the 9th June 1918, he fell ill and was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance and was then transferred to the 47th Stationary Hospital in Gaza. On the 2nd July 1918 he was transferred to the 44th Stationary Hospital at Kantara and a day later was moved to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Port Said.

He then had a few weeks at a rest camp at Moascar, and then rejoined the 10th light Horse Regiment on the 29th July 1918.

Alfred served with the 10th Light Horse Regiment through to December 1918. In this period of time the Australian light Horse and British units broke the Turkish resistance. The 10th Light Horse captured Damascus, ahead of Lawrence of Arabia' s Arabs.

After the loss of Damascus, the Turks surrendered and the Germans followed soon after on the 11th November 1918.

On the 5th December 1918 Alfred fell ill with jaundice and malaria and was sent to Alexandria and was admitted to the 21st General Hospital. On 12th January 1919 he was sent to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Abbassia. He had a few weeks here and because of his ill health, the medical authorities decided to return him home to WA. 

On the 26th January 1919 Alfred boarded the transport ship HMAT Demosthenes and sailed home for WA. He arrived back in Fremantle on the 24th February 1919.

After arriving in Fremantle, Alfred was sent to the No.8 Australian General Hospital Annexe at the Fremantle Artillery Barracks as this was the hospital specialising in Malarial cases.

Alfred was discharged from the AIF on the 20th May 1919.

After his discharge from hospital in 1919, the family moved back to Geraldton where further children were born, Ronald (1919), Frederick (1921), Gladys (1922), Joan (1922), Edna (1924), Kenneth (1926), Beryl (1928) and Russell (1933).

During the 1920's and 30's Alfred was working as a storekeeper.

During World War Two Alfred served in the Volunteer Defence Corps (W82112) and Royal Australian Engineers in the Geraldton area. His son Ronald was killed at El Alamein in 1942.

Alfred Smith died on the 19th September 1962 and was buried in Geraldton Cemetery.