Charles Gordon Smitham

Charles was born on 18 April 1885 at Penfield, the son of William and Sarah Jane Nowell Hill.   William was born in Cornwall, England, he immigrated to Australia on the ship “Constance” in 1850.  William became a farmer at Penfield. Their farm was compulsory acquired to become part of the Salisbury Ammunition Factory during WWII.  William and Jane had six boys and three girls, Charles was the youngest.  All the children were born at Penfield.

Charles an enthusiast cricketer was a member of the Thebarton Club.  As an adult he joined the Police force.   In 1909 he married Elsie Westhoven and lived at Hyde Park, Adelaide.

He enlisted on April Fool’s day 1916, almost 31 years old and was placed in the 50^th Battalion, 3^rd Reinforcements.  The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and was dubbed “Hurcombe’s Hungry Half Hundred”, after its first CO, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe.

He embarked on the “Seang Bee” at Adelaide on 13 July 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth.

After arriving in France on 11 June 1916, the 50th fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm between 13 and 15 August and suffered heavily. It took part in another assault launched there on 3 September. The battalion saw out the rest of the year alternating between front-line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. This routine continued through the bleak winter of 1916-17.

He marched into Rollestone Camp on 11 September 1916 where he remained in England for three months.   He was offered  the   “nice cosy job of Regimental Policeman in England, but refused; to do his bit in France.”  On 1 December 1916 he boarded the “Prince Henrietta” at Folkstone and went to Etaples, France.  He joined his unit there fourteen days later.  He fought in France for six months but at the Battle of Messines he was killed in action on 10^th June 1917.

Early in 1917, the battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and attacked at Noreuil on 2 April. Later that year, the focus of AIF operations moved to the Ypres sector in Belgium. There the battalion was involved in the battle of Messines between 7 and 12 June.

He is commemorated at the Ypres [Menin Gate] Memorial in Belgium.  In the diary of Lance Corporal George Pedlar he says “I mentioned about losing two of my best pals in the Messines attack.  One of them was Charles Smitham, who used to be a policeman in Adelaide.  He was a fellow who could always find something dry to say and to make one laugh.  He was not the gamest of fellows in the line, but I will give him credit for doing his best”.

Elsie was granted a pension of £2 pounds fortnightly.  Elsie’s solicitor wrote to the Barracks to obtain a record of his death so that she might obtain Lodge money.

On 6 December 1917 Elsie married again to Bodmer. 

Charles was an enthusiastic cricketer, and a member of the Thebarton Club.  He had lived the greater part of his life in Adelaide, had a wide circle of friends, and being of a genial disposition, was greatly respected.

A memorial to Charles has been placed in the Zoar cemetery, where his parents and other members of his family are buried.  Charles’ brother, George named a son in honour of Charles, Gordon Charles Smitham was born on 11 August 1924.