Samuel Smith is described on the back of a photograph as 'the youngest member of the Burke and Wills expedition'. Burke hired and fired with alacrity in the early stages of the expedition, so it is possible that young Smith was briefly part of the expedition. However, there is no mention of him in the meticulous accounts kept of wages paid to the expedition members, or in the cheque books that Burke used to pay short-term employees.
The application letter of a Samuel Smith is preserved amongst the Burke and Wills papers, but this Smith was a fully qualified doctor who was seeking an appointment as medical officer, and would have been unlikely to sign on as a camel wrangler.
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