Alan Smith (RAF officer)
| Alan Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born |
14 March 1917 South Shields, England |
| Died |
1 March 2013 (aged 95) Perth, Scotland |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939-1945 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit |
No. 616 Squadron RAF No. 93 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar |
Sir Alan Smith, CBE, DFC*, DL (14 March 1917 – 1 March 2013), was a British World War II Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire fighter ace and businessman.
Early life
Smith was born at South Shields, County Durham. He left Bede College School, Sunderland at 14 after the death of his merchant navy sea captain father[1] to work in his mother's ironmongery store and then set up his own business.
Military service
He trained as a pilot after joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve and joined No. 610 Squadron RAF. He then joined No. 616 Squadron RAF as a sergeant pilot in January 1941 based at RAF Tangmere. He was under the command of Wing Commander Douglas Bader who selected him as his wingman in which role he was described as “leech-like", and "a perfect number two".[2] Two further well-known individuals made up Bader's section of four aircraft during this period: Johnnie Johnson and 'Cocky' Dundas.[3] Three of the four (Bader, Dundas and Smith) went on to receive knighthoods and all four survived the war. On 9 August 1941 Smith was about to be commissioned and was away in London buying his uniform.[4] He was therefore unavailable to fly and protect his CO's tail and Bader was shot down and spent the remainder of the war as a PoW.
Smith then served as an instructor and trained Americans to fly the Spitfire. He joined No. 93 Squadron RAF and took part in Operation Torch flying from Algeria and he shot down four Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters and other aircraft. After service as a flying instructor in Florida he left the RAF in December 1945 as a Flight Lieutenant.
Career
Smith then moved to Scotland where he became a managing director and then a chief executive in the textile industry. He also served as Chairman of Quayle Munro, merchant bank, in Edinburgh.[5]
Honours and decorations
He was appointed CBE in 1976 and was knighted in 1982.[3][6]
On 4 November 1941, the then Pilot Officer Alan Smith, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 616 Squadron is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:
Throughout the 44 operational sorties in which, he has participated, this officer has shown the greatest keenness to 'engage the enemy and has destroyed at least four of their aircraft. In combat, he has been of great support to his leader on numerous occasions— London Gazette[7]
On 16 February 1943, Flight Lieutenant Alan Smith DFC, Royal Air Force Reserve, No. 93 Squadron is awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy:
During the campaign in North Africa, Flight Lieutenant Smith has destroyed 4 enemy aircraft. His great skill, and fine example have inspired the formation he leads.— London Gazette[8]
On 1 January 1976, as chairman of Dawson International, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the new year honours.[9] On 12 June 1982, he was appointed a Knight Batchelor as chairman and chief executive of Dawson International in the Queen's Birthday Honours.[10]
References
- ↑ Sir Alan Smith obituary at Herald Scotland. Retrieved 8 March 2013
- ↑ 'Johnnie' Johnson (1958). Wing Leader, The Reprint Society (originally published by Chatto and Windus, 1956). p.85.
- 1 2 Sir Alan Smith Obituary Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 March 2013
- ↑ Johnson, Wing Leader, p.110.
- ↑ "Quayle Munro sets up in Charlotte Square". The Herald (Glasgow). 25 March 1983. p. 13. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ↑ Spitfire Ace Dies The Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 March 2013
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35334. p. 6367. 4 November 1941. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35904. p. 812. 16 February 1943. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ Business News Staff. "Honours for Bank Governor, CBI director-general and NRDC head." Times [London, England] 2 Jan. 1976: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
- ↑ "The Queen's birthday awards in full." Times [London, England] 12 June 1982: 8+. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.