Major General Sir Nevill SmythPrint Page 
The plaque was erected in memory of Major General Sir Nevill Smyth (1868-1941).
Major General Sir Nevill Maskelyne Smyth, VC, KCB was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
1896 saw him stationed in Cairo with his regiment, and he was promoted lieutenant on 26 April. For his services in the initial stages of the Mahdist War he was mentioned in dispatches on 3 November 1896, and awarded the Order of the Medjidieh, Fourth Class in 1897.
On 8 December 1897 Smyth was promoted captain. On 2 September came the Battle of Omdurman. Near to the end of the battle, a dervish tried to spear two war correspondents; Smyth galloped forward and, though severely speared through the arm, shot the man dead. This action saw him awarded the Victoria Cross.The citation was gazetted on 15 November 1898.
Smyth was dispatched to Gallipoli by Lord Kitchener arriving in May 1915. He commanded the 1st Australian Infantry Brigade as a temporary brigadier-general at the Battle of Lone Pine and was one of the last officers to leave the peninsula, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 1 January 1916, and received a further Mention in Despatches on 28 January 1916. Smyth led the brigade in France in 1916, and on 28 December was given command of the 2nd Australian Division as a temporary major general. During the First World War he had also been awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre and the French Légion d'honneur in the grade of Officer. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Dragoon Guards on 1 October 1920 and retired from the British Army in July 1924. After his retirement, Smyth emigrated to Australia and a farm in Balmoral, Victoria in 1925 with his wife and three children. He took to politics in the National Party of Australia and stood unsuccessfully for a Victorian seat in the Australian Senate.
Location
| Address: | Stirling & Bell Streets, St Mary`s Anglican Church, Balmoral, 3407 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.248833 Long: 141.841167 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 24-November-1916 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 24-November-1916 |
| Link: | http://adb.anu.edu.au/ |
Dedication
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF
MAJOR GENERAL SIR NEVILL SMYTH V
V.C., K.C.B.
Born in London 1868.
Died Kongbool, Balmoral 1941.
Commanded 1st Aust. Inf Bde. 1915 - 16
Gallipoli, Lone Pine, Battle of the Somme
G.O.C. 2nd Aust. Div. 1917 - 19 G.O.C. 58th
London Div. & 59th Div. 1918.
Zhob Valley Exp. 1890-1, Soudan 1896 - 99 (V.C.)
Sth African War.
