The Smith Brothers

THE SMITH BROTHERS

                                                             By Barry Needham

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There is never any solid proof that a pilot’s one-time misdemeanor determines his future in the service. However, there is not much doubt that Jerry Smith’s flight in early 1942 prompted his early posting to Malta as punishment. In July 1942 he was joined by his brother Rod and they flew several missions together before he was shot down and killed.

 Jerry’s low flying pass over Wellingore airfield, meant to impress his brother Rod , a charter member of RCAF 412 Spitfire squadron, demolished the radio antenna on top of the squadron’s dispersal hut. Despite considerable damage to his spitfire, he was able to return to his home base and shortly after received a posting to Malta.

 En route , aboard the aircraft carrier Wasp, he made aviation history. After take off, he found he was unable to engage the auxiliary fuel tank whose extra fuel was necessary in order to reach Malta. This left him three choices of action; land in the sea, bale out and hope to be picked up, or  return to the carrier to  try a never-before accomplished deck  landing without an arresting hook.  He did the near impossible, landing back on the pitching deck and stopping just inches short from going overboard. Needless to say, Jerry’s  miraculous  feat  made him the toast of the officer’s wardroom earning  high praise and a pair of American wings presented by the Admiral.

Years later,when  Rod was attending a reunion in the US, a Navy pilot was   reminiscing about his duty as Deck Officer on the aircraft carrier Wasp. He recounted the story of a spitfire that after taking off, returned to the Wasp deck, landing without arresting gear. Rod  startled  the speaker when he revealed “that was my brother Jerry, and I have those wings”

Incidentally, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was an officer serving on the Wasp. He gave a three page account of Jerry’s landing  in the second volume of his memoirs.

Rod completed two tours of operations, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar.  In September 1944 he was promoted to Squadron Leader commanding 401 Squadron  at Brussels , Belgium where he shot down six  Me 109’s and a share of the first German  jet a Messerschmitt 262  bringing his total enemy aircraft destroyed  to 13 1/5.

 He returned to Canada in December 1944 entering McGill university where he earned  a P Eng  While there in 1946  he joined  401 Squadron RCAF Auxiliary flying Vampire jet fighters. Later he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander and  appointed commanding officer of 411 squadron from which he retired in 1952. He  graduated from Osgoode Hall  in 1953 and moved to Vancouver where he was called to the bar the following year. He continued to practice law until retiring  in 1987.  He died suddenly  on April 16, 2002 in Vancouver.

The Smith brothers  lived with their parents in Regina ,attending Davin and Lakeview schools and Central Collegiate before enlisting in the RCAF in 1940.