I am the grand-niece of Cyril 'Jock' Esli Smith. These memories were written down by his half sister Nell Eleanor Leith before her passing:

He never talked about it (the war). But on one occasion he told this to his dad.
The man sitting beside him in a convoy had his head blown off. He was in the desert (army NZ)
Jock was always quiet even before the war. Wally (Lloyd Esmond Smith - brother) was an extrovert with a very contagious laugh.