Historical information

Photos taken by Victor Cycril Smith on his journey home after serving overseas in World War 1.

Victor embarked on the HMAT Port Sydney in England on 22 September 1919. The vessel carried 1,307 men. The first home port was Fremantle where 170 disembarked before continuing the trip stopping at Adelaide where 101 soldiers disembarked.

The next port was Melbourne and arrived in Melbourne On 12 November 1919, the ship arrived in Melbourne where 340 Victorians and 35 Tasmanians disembarked. They were motored through the city by the Royal Automobile Club and were greeted in the usual hearty fashion, crowds of men, women and children congregated at various points along the way to shout and cheer and wave flags in welcome.

The soldiers from New South Wales, 430 and Queensland, 515 boarded special trains to take them home.

Significance

Victor Cycril Smith was the son of a pioneering family in the Shire of Moorabbin.

Physical description

Six black and white photographs taken on board HMAT Port Sydney