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Family Reflections
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 02:11:53 AM
EDWARD VIVIAN
SMYTHE 1890-1968
(By his son Ted)
Viv
SMYTHE was employed as a telephone
mechanic and linesman by the PMG in the Dorrigo area of N.S.W. when W.W.I broke
out in August 1914.
(I omitted a sentence here, where Ted mentioned the enlistment of his brothers
Herbert and Vernon who were at the landing at Gallipoli. He also stated that
another brother Perce was also there and that was not correct, though he was
sent there later as a reinforcement.) Ed.
On his return to
Sydney early in 1915, Viv also joined the AIF.
(at the same
time as his brother Perce. Ed.)
He was promoted
Corporal and married Clytie McPHEE on 12
June, 1915. Shortly after this, he sailed with the 17th Battalion
Reinforcements for Egypt where, after a period of training he was promoted to
2nd Lieutenant on 24 September, 1915. He was posted to the 24th Battalion on
16 March in Egypt, just prior to the embarkation of his unit for France, where
it was almost immediately and continuously in action until November, 1918.
The Battalion
History (“Red and White Diamond”) and the Official War History show that Viv was
promoted Lieutenant 25 August 1916; earned the nickname “Mouquet Bill” for
coolness and leadership at Mouquet Farm 26 August 1916; was awarded the Military
Cross “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty -----a splendid example
of courage and determination” on 3 April 1917; was mentioned in despatches
“for courageous leadership and organisation” on 9 April 1917; was promoted
Captain on 10 May 1917; and, on 29 November 1917, was awarded a Bar to the
Military Cross “for supervising the whole battalion front at great personal
risk, after all the company commanders and many platoon officers had become
casualties. His personal reconnaissance materially aided the clearing of the
wood.’
The Battalion
History refers to his “long and successful career in the field in France and
Belgium and finally acting Battalion Commander being promoted Temporary Major.
Viv, however, only recounted to his family his investiture by the King, his
invitation to the opening of Australia House in London, his visit, on leave to
the homelands of his mothers people from Carlow, Dublin in Omagh, in Ireland.
He rarely mentioned the “mud and blood” of France and Flanders.
Back in
Australia, he was placed on the reserve of Officers as a Captain in 1920; and in
that rank he was recalled to service in October 1939. He was posted as a
Company Commander in the 22 Garrison Battalion, 1940-41, responsible for Coastal
Defence in the Bunnerong Power Station area of Botany Bay, after his
applications for overseas service were rejected.
He was promoted
Major during 1941 and transferred, first to Cowra, 1942-43 and then Hay,
1944-45, where he was Officer Commanding various POW companies responsible for
holding Italian prisoners and supervising their work in country towns and in
various agricultural activities.
Soon after the
Japanese surrendered in August, 1945, Viv was transferred to the Military
Administration in Rabaul, TPNG, and was involved in supervising the repatriation
of Japanese, Korean and Formosan POW’s, conducting local court’s martial and
general administration, investigating the local war crimes, etc, as well as
beginning the transition to civilian administration of the region.
In particular,
he established an effective telephone system for town and district, making use
of his PMG and military experience to set up a network comprising a mixture of
Japanese, pre-war civilian and Australian Military Forces telephonic
equipment.
He took his
discharge from the AMF in Rabaul and joined the Posts and Telegraph Department
of the Civil Administration, where he continued the re-development of the
telephone Services until his retirement in 1961. In addition he was active in
ex-services affairs as secretary-manager of the RSL Club and in community
affairs in the churches and in amateur theatricals.
He died in Port
Moresby in 1968.
FAMILY
REFLECTIONS
Upon reading and
digesting all the information that have been keyed in this narration, it is have
concluded that my SMYTHE'S boys courage, endurance, and initiative must have been part
of their genetic make up and from their upbringing. They were taught that
education was very important, cleanliness, good manners, consideration of others
and doing one’s duty, all pre-requisites for decent living. They learned respect
for others, a strong work ethic and were encouraged to participate in many
social and church activities. They all suffered a great deal during the war and
had to do many things that went against their moral beliefs. Despite all this,
they did what they considered was their duty to King and Country, did it "above
and beyond the call of duty", and were recognised by the Army, government and
the British Royal Family for their accomplishments.
There seemed to
be no
indications that their war experiences made them bitter, angry or violent. In
fact, to me they seemed to always be gentle men, as well as gentlemen. They did
not relate many of their experiences, after they got home, although in later
years, they did answer some questions from very curious nieces and nephews and
of course their own children.
These four boys
had to leave school early because of the financial difficulties in those times,
but despite this lack of formal education, they all were very literate, highly
intelligent and very able to express themselves fluently. Most of their
education was undertaken after they left school and their letters home during
the war display this articulation of the English language very well. Their achievements from what they had described as a return from
HELL.
There seemed to be no letters or reports by Vern, to include in this History of the
SMYTHE War Records, however there are anecdotes about him (recounted by family
members) included in the extracts from my cousin Dorothy’s book on the
SMYTHE
Family. There are many comments about him in H. R. William’s books “Comrades of
The Great Adventure” and “The Gallant Company”.
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