Archibald Kenneth smith married lydia kelly.
They produced two children , Kenneth and Leonie.
Lydia was a very proud women who made a massive impact on all that knew here , she was a force to be reckoned with and had a mind as sharp as a razor and size and strenght to match.
She was a formidable women with a sense of humour that made here incredibly popular with everyone that met here.
Archibald served his country in the navy over a career of twenty three years after joining he quickly rose to able seaman , further to gunner , quartermaster and later chief petty officer .
He was an active rower and competed in regattas in Australia and Tasmania , the navy encouraged these events and they were gala days with thousands in attendance , competition was fierce.
He did several stints at china station during peace times and served on hmas Canberra among others and was endorsed for his ratings on the hmas Sydney
He spent most of world war two serving continuously at sea on the Australian navy corvettes hmas cairns and later hmas Castlemaine.along with hmas Napier and time on hmas Platypus .
He saw a lot of action and sailed most seas , he was at Crete for the beginning of the hostility's against the Germans in that region and they were strafed daily by German aircraft and pursued by submarines ,
The first few hours of action saw a ship beside them blown up and scuttled.
Prior to that he saw active service in Africa chasing subs.
Later as the Japanese became a very real threat to Australia he served between the Philippines, new guinea and circumnavigated Australia several times in the duties of escorting shipping and keeping safe our shores and ships from submarine and landings of Japanese forces.
At times the weather was atrocious as they encountered cyclonic conditions and stifling tropical heat with no respite and very little ventilation on the small ships the corvettes .
Sickness , tuberculosis , lack of good food and continues service without leave took its toll on many .
The men on the corvettes suffered greatly for our freedoms and were constantly under threat of submarine and or air attack and hounded by sickness in cramped stifling conditions
His service record reflects he was an excellent member of the forces and was able to keep the men on his ships happy and disciplined .
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1945. for his continuess time served on the corvettes with Courage and devotion to duty under hazardas and dangerous conditions without respite for a period beyond three years.
He further received his long service good conduct award and the various stars and medals for service over many seas and campaigns.
At wars end he was involved in the clean up of hong kong harbor ensuring it was free of mines and the surrender of the Japanese that had occupied the territory
The harbor was littered with body's of Japanese soldiers whom the .locals had killed and thrown in the harbor.
Later he was with the occupational forces in japan for the establishment of allied occupation .
He was based close to the radio active areas and served in that region for two years approx before returning home to Australia , after return he continued to serve in the navy.
He was later involved in a rescue of a doctor by an Australian war ship where the seas were so bad they did major damages to the hull structure whilst they made way in freezing and dangerous conditions to rescue the man who had appendicitis from a remote island with some of the most treacherous seas in the world at full super-storm tilt .
The damages were so bad the Australian government decreed they would never undertake such a rescue again.
The doctor was rescued and returned to Australia where he made a full recovery.
Finally with the Korean war under way his wife Lydia said enough is enough , he had given so much in the previous war she was not prepared to allow him to put her , himself or his children through the pain and suffering of him being at sea on active service through another.
She ensured he retired from the navy before he was sent to Korea.
He retired from the navy in 1951
Upon retiring he settled in the family home in blakehurst in sydney NSW, a fine double brick home within walking distance of swimming and sailing.
He established a trucking business but had great difficulty settling into civilian life after so many years at sea and service.
He succumbed to radiation caused sickness in 1962.
He gave his life for his country.
LEST WE FORGET
They produced two children , Kenneth and Leonie.
Lydia was a very proud women who made a massive impact on all that knew here , she was a force to be reckoned with and had a mind as sharp as a razor and size and strenght to match.
She was a formidable women with a sense of humour that made here incredibly popular with everyone that met here.
Archibald served his country in the navy over a career of twenty three years after joining he quickly rose to able seaman , further to gunner , quartermaster and later chief petty officer .
He was an active rower and competed in regattas in Australia and Tasmania , the navy encouraged these events and they were gala days with thousands in attendance , competition was fierce.
He did several stints at china station during peace times and served on hmas Canberra among others and was endorsed for his ratings on the hmas Sydney
He spent most of world war two serving continuously at sea on the Australian navy corvettes hmas cairns and later hmas Castlemaine.along with hmas Napier and time on hmas Platypus .
He saw a lot of action and sailed most seas , he was at Crete for the beginning of the hostility's against the Germans in that region and they were strafed daily by German aircraft and pursued by submarines ,
The first few hours of action saw a ship beside them blown up and scuttled.
Prior to that he saw active service in Africa chasing subs.
Later as the Japanese became a very real threat to Australia he served between the Philippines, new guinea and circumnavigated Australia several times in the duties of escorting shipping and keeping safe our shores and ships from submarine and landings of Japanese forces.
At times the weather was atrocious as they encountered cyclonic conditions and stifling tropical heat with no respite and very little ventilation on the small ships the corvettes .
Sickness , tuberculosis , lack of good food and continues service without leave took its toll on many .
The men on the corvettes suffered greatly for our freedoms and were constantly under threat of submarine and or air attack and hounded by sickness in cramped stifling conditions
His service record reflects he was an excellent member of the forces and was able to keep the men on his ships happy and disciplined .
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1945. for his continuess time served on the corvettes with Courage and devotion to duty under hazardas and dangerous conditions without respite for a period beyond three years.
He further received his long service good conduct award and the various stars and medals for service over many seas and campaigns.
At wars end he was involved in the clean up of hong kong harbor ensuring it was free of mines and the surrender of the Japanese that had occupied the territory
The harbor was littered with body's of Japanese soldiers whom the .locals had killed and thrown in the harbor.
Later he was with the occupational forces in japan for the establishment of allied occupation .
He was based close to the radio active areas and served in that region for two years approx before returning home to Australia , after return he continued to serve in the navy.
He was later involved in a rescue of a doctor by an Australian war ship where the seas were so bad they did major damages to the hull structure whilst they made way in freezing and dangerous conditions to rescue the man who had appendicitis from a remote island with some of the most treacherous seas in the world at full super-storm tilt .
The damages were so bad the Australian government decreed they would never undertake such a rescue again.
The doctor was rescued and returned to Australia where he made a full recovery.
Finally with the Korean war under way his wife Lydia said enough is enough , he had given so much in the previous war she was not prepared to allow him to put her , himself or his children through the pain and suffering of him being at sea on active service through another.
She ensured he retired from the navy before he was sent to Korea.
He retired from the navy in 1951
Upon retiring he settled in the family home in blakehurst in sydney NSW, a fine double brick home within walking distance of swimming and sailing.
He established a trucking business but had great difficulty settling into civilian life after so many years at sea and service.
He succumbed to radiation caused sickness in 1962.
He gave his life for his country.
LEST WE FORGET
