Sydney Llewelyn Smyth

SMYTH, Sydney Llewelyn- – – – SPC 1906-1910

DoB:- – 1892, Ballarat VIC

Father:- – William Smyth

Mother:- – Edith Laura, nee Emery

Sydney Smyth was a day boy at St Patrick’s. He was a member of the 1st XVIII Football team in 1910.

Service No:- 626

Rank:- – Sergeant

Unit:- – 13th Light Horse Regiment, later Australian Corps Cyclists Battalion

Sydney Smyth enlisted on 18 February 1915 at the age of 22 years and three months. He stated his occupation as brewer, having undertaken three years of an apprenticeship at Ballarat Brewery Coy. He was a single man, five feet, eight and three quarter inches tall, with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and sandy hair.

On 29 March 1915, Private Smyth was transferred from the Training Depot to the 13th Light Horse Brigade. He was promoted to Acting Sergeant when he embarked for overseas service in Sydney aboard the Ceramic on 25 June 1915. He landed at Gallipoli on 3 November 1915.

On 16 November he was admitted to hospital suffering from orchitis (swelling of the testicles, usually caused by bacterial or viral infection). This problem was severe enough to cause A/Sergeant Smyth to be transferred off the Turkish Peninsula and taken to the Auxiliary Hospital at Heliopolis. By 28 December he was discharged to his unit.

In early May 1916, Smyth proceeded to France. Between September and December of that year he was in and out of hospital suffering from various gastric complaints. He was finally transferred to a hospital in England, and on 15 March 1917, was attached to the Cyclist Corps.

He was returned to Australia on 21 July 1917 for nursing/transport duties, and was discharged from the AIF on 3 December 1917, as being medically unfit.

Back in Australia, Sydney married Eileen Margaret Lewis in 1920. For many years they lived in Wangaratta, Sydney working as a manager. They had four children. In the electoral rolls on 1963, Sydney was back in Melbourne, in the bayside suburb of St Kilda and there was no mention of Eileen.

Sydney died on 22 October 1964, aged 72 years. He was buried at the Fawkner Cemetery, Victoria.

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