Item #117282 A decorative testimonial presented by the Shire of Swan Hill, Victoria, to 'place on record their Thanks and Appreciation for the conduct of Gunner D.D. Smith (1886), 42nd Battery, A.F.A., who served his King and Country in the Great War'. Victoria Swan Hill, 1886 Gunner Donald Davidson SMITH.
[Swan Hill, Victoria]. SMITH, 1886 Gunner Donald Davidson

A decorative testimonial presented by the Shire of Swan Hill, Victoria, to 'place on record their Thanks and Appreciation for the conduct of Gunner D.D. Smith (1886), 42nd Battery, A.F.A., who served his King and Country in the Great War'

Melbourne, Printed by D.W. Paterson Co. Pty. Ltd., [1919] (this example was presented on 9 July 1919).

A colour-pictorial certificate (visible dimensions 435 × 290 mm), with an attached paper seal and manuscript insertions (the details of the recipient, the date of the presentation, and the signatures of two shire officials).

The certificate is matted and behind glass in a period-style wooden frame (external dimensions 620 × 465 mm); it is a little stained (confined mainly to a horizontal strip through the decoration at the foot of the item); overall, in very good condition, and now attractively presented.

1886 Gunner Donald Davidson Smith enlisted in Melbourne on 14 August 1915, and he was initially attached to the 8th Light Horse. However, his service record indicates he ended up in the 42nd Battery AFA (as this certificate attests), by way of the 8th LHR, the 3rd LHR, and various Field Artillery Brigades. He was twice wounded in action. He returned to Australia on 8 June 1919, a month before this certificate came his way. His connection with the Shire of Swan Hill is not immediately obvious. The only clue we find in his service record is that he was a shearer when he enlisted; he may have worked in the region, and returned there upon his discharge from the Army. He received similar testimonials from the City of Hawthorn (22 November 1919) and the City of Brunswick (1 April 1922).

Item #117282

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