Service: Army – 19 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps
Service number: V383144
Locality on Enlistment: Alvie
Duration of Service: 26 Jun 1942 – 21 Sep 1945
Prisoner of War: No
Honours: None for display
Date and Place of Birth: 22 May 1905 Colac
Parents: John Robert SMITH and Janet Key BELL
Spouse: Masie Dorothy COTTINGHAM
School/s: Colac SS, Colac Agricultural School
Occupation: Farmer, Mechanic, Welder
Date and Place of Death: 23 Sep 1987 Colac
Place of Burial: Colac Cemetery
NOTES: Along with about 18 local men, William enrolled at Alvie in June 1942 in the 19th Battalion, part of the Volunteer Defence Corps. They were part of about 70 members in the Colac District. The Corps consisted of men in reserved occupations like farming or those too old for the regular army. They attended regular drills and exercises to prepare for any local threat that may occur. Some other local Alvie men in 19th Battalion were Edward Smith, George Simpkin, George Patterson, James Inglis and Stanley Harding.