Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Edward David "Ted" Smout OAM (5 January 1898 – 22 June 2004) was an Australian soldier in

the First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was Australia's 6th last surviving World War I veteran. Smout served in the army as a stretcher bearer. He was notably one of the first on the scene upon the landing of

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of th ...

, the Red Baron, after he had been shot down and was witness to his final words. He was also the last surviving witness of Richthofen's death.

Biography

Smout was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

in 1898. He joined the

Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian colon ...

in September 1915 at the age of 17, giving his age as 18 years 8 months. Upon arrival in France, he was posted to the 3rd Sanitary Section of the Australian Army Medical Corps where he served as a stretcher bearer. During an engagement near the

Somme River The Somme ( , ; ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geologica ...

on 21 April 1918, Smout was an

eyewitness Eyewitness or eye witness may refer to: Witness * Witness, someone who has knowledge acquired through first-hand experience ** Eyewitness memory ** Eyewitness testimony Eyewitness testimony is the account a bystander or victim gives in the court ...

to the final moments in the life and career of the famous German flying ace

(aka the "

Red Baron Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a sec ...

"), whose aeroplane had landed nearby after he was fatally shot. Smout reported that Richthofen's last word was ''"kaputt"'' ("finished") just before he died. Smout said later in life that he resisted the temptation to souvenir the Red Baron's boots and Iron Cross. He was discharged on 8 September 1919. In 1922, Ted joined an insurance firm, beginning a successful career that would last till his retirement in 1958. He was awarded

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's highest honour, being made a ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

in 1998 and also received the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

for service to the community. A regular participant in

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

marches, Smout became one of the most celebrated war veterans in Queensland as one of Australia's last surviving WWI veterans. He died at 106 years old, predeceased by his wife of 69 years, Ella Annie Grace Stevens (November 1, 1900 – March 7, 1992). He is survived by his three children, 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. His son, Dr. Westall David "Westy" Smout (June 11, 1924 – March 27, 2020), himself a

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

"Bomber Navigator" veteran. On July 14, 1950, Westy married Dr. Ruth A. Yolanda Cilento (July 30, 1925 – April 18, 2016), the second daughter of doctors Sir

Raphael Cilento Sir Raphael West Cilento (2 December 189315 April 1985), often known as "Ray",Mark Finnane, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 17, Melbourne University Press, pp 216-217. was an Australian Medical practice, medical practitioner and p ...

and Phyllis McGlew. According to historical journalist

Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...

, "Ted Smout's legacy is in the hundreds of newspaper articles written about him, the book he wrote ''Three Centuries Spanned'', hours and hours of video footage instructing Australians not to get involved in conflicts like Iraq or Afghanistan. His main message always was we should not glorify war. It was a mistake to fight in a far flung battle that had nothing to do with Australia, and he pleaded with the nation never to do it again." He appeared in the series

People's Century ''People's Century'' is a television documentary series examining the 20th century. It was a joint production of the BBC in the United Kingdom and PBS member station WGBH-TV, WGBH Boston in the United States. The series was first shown on BBC in ...

discussing his recollections of the First World War in the episode "Killing Fields". Because of his eyewitness account of Richthofen's death, he also often appeared in the media. Some of his last known footage was talking in 2002 (aged about 104) for the Discovery Channel detective-documentary film about the Red Baron's death. He was a supporter of Australian becoming a republic and was a member of the

Australian Republic Movement The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. The ARM and its supporters have promoted various models, including a parliamentary republic, and the organisation has branche ...

Death

He died in 2004, aged 106. At the time, he was the oldest surviving veteran of the war.

Honours and awards

(awarded 6 June 1978) *

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

* Victory Medal * 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal (awarded 21 April 1999) *

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

(awarded 1 January 2002) * ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(awarded 4 July 1998) * Ted Smout Memorial Bridge named in his honour (14 July 2009)

References

External links

National Archives of Australia
Service Record for Sgt E.D. Smout, Regt Number 12947 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smout, Edward 1898 births 2004 deaths Australian men centenarians Australian republicans Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Knights of the Legion of Honour Queensland Greats Military personnel from Brisbane Australian military personnel of World War I Royal Australian Army Medical Corps soldiers