Donald Hamilton SMITH was born at Encounter Bay on 18 August 1915, the second child of Herbert Leicester SMITH and Rosa Ellen SMITH (nee DONALD). He was educated at Victor Harbor School and after leaving school, farmed in the Encounter Bay area. On 17 August 1940, Don, as he was known, enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force Citizens Air Force for the “duration of the war and for a period of twelve months thereafter”. The description from his service file was:
Age: 25 years
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: 136 lbs
Chest measurement: 33 ½ inches
Complexion: Fair
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Fair
Religion: Congregational
What prompted Don to enlist was no doubt the invasion and collapse of France in May-June 1940 which was followed by the Battle of Britain in July 1940.
Posted to No 1 Initial Training School (ITS) at Somers (Vic), Don underwent a six weeks of intensive training. He graduated as an air cadet and was mustered for pilot training and proceeded to No 3 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Essendon arriving there on 17 October. This School had only been formed ten months earlier in January and utilised the Gipsy Moth DH60 and the Tiger Moth DH-84 as training aircraft. Don’s course was the third of the Empire Training courses under the Empire Air Training Scheme (E.A.T.S.). His graduation from No 3 ITS saw Don mustered for single-engine training at No 2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at Forest Hills, Wagga Wagga (NSW) where he arrived on 16 December 1940.
On 10 February 1941, Don was awarded his Flying Badge and on 8 April he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer with the General Duties (G.D.) branch. One week later, Don was at No 4 Embarkation Depot (ED) in Adelaide where he underwent medical tests prior to his entrainment to Sydney and No 1 ED at Bradfield Park. Embarking from Sydney on 27 May 1941 aboard one of the US Matson Lines fast steamers, either the Mariposa or Monterey that sailed from Sydney to Los Angeles or San Francisco. After disembarking, Don and his fellow airmen entrained to Vancouver, then across Canada to Halifax to await the next available convoy to the United Kingdom. Their ship most likely docked at Liverpool, however later convoys docked at Gourock in Scotland as the passage north of Ireland afforded better protection from U-Boats that were known to patrol the Irish Sea. Proceeding immediately to No 60 Operational Training Unit at RAF East Fortune and RAF Macmerry bases in East Lothian Country; No 60 had just moved there from Leconfield on 4 June 1941 and re-equipped with Beaufighters, replacing the Blenheim and Defiant aircraft that were used to train night fighter crews.
On 8 October 1941, Don was promoted to Flying Officer and on 1 November, he was posted to No 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit. This training was of particular importance to the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian airmen who were used to operating in clear sunny skies of their home countries whereas in Britain, the weather conditions were to be significantly different along with the myriad of barrage balloons and thousands of Allied aircraft in the skies.
Donald’s first squadron posting was to No 452 Squadron RAAF, one of the Article XV squadrons formed under the E.A.T.S agreement. Arriving there on 2 April 1942, Donald met the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader Ray THOROLD-SMITH DFC (402144 Raymond Edward THOROLD-SMITH, born 12 June 1918, killed in a flying battle on 15 March 1943 over the Timor Sea). Donald’s time with the Squadron was short as the unit was withdrawn from service in readiness for its return to Australia.
On 3 June 1942, Donald was posted to 126 Squadron RAF, the fighter unit that had been stationed on Malta to provide air defence of the island. Equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIB’s, the squadron was a crucial part of the defence against the Axis attacks on the island. Donald sailed with one of the British aircraft carriers tasked to support the island and flew his Spitfire from the carrier to his new base on Malta. In eight straight days in the beginning of July 1942, Don flew multiple sorties and shot down two Junkers 88’s, a Messerschmitt 109 and a share in the destruction of an Italian CANT Z.1007. In his last combat over the island on 14 July 1942, he was wounded when four Spitfires went up to intercept 20 Ju 88’s escorted by Me 109’s.
Don shot down a Ju 88, which spiralled into the sea. All the enemy fighters turned back to attack Don at close range. His Spitfire was struck by seven machine-gun bullets and a cannon shell hit the fuselage, severing the bunting control wires, the resulting loss of control causing the Spitfire to shoot up steeply. Don was wounded in the ankle, and was bleeding profusely. He secured control by using the elevator trims and found he could fly fairly comfortably, and decided not to bale out. Two Me 109’s made determined attacks against Don who evaded them because of the Spitfire’s manoeuvrability. Don got on the tail of one, closed in to 100 yards, and pressed the gun button, but nothing happened. He then discovered that the air-lines in the control column were damaged. He was 16 miles from Malta, and his ankle pain was acute.
Don fought his way back to Malta, keeping the German fighters in front of him. He was nearing Malta when both German fighters got behind him; he saw flashes from their guns in his mirror and kicked the rudder with his good foot, and the Spitfire skidded violently. He was almost on top of the sea and could see the German bullets splashing the sea 50 yards in front of him, but broke away again and reached Malta. The enemy fighters then disappeared. Don found the runway damaged by a bomb but successfully made a flapless landing and fell unconscious when he attempted to climb out of his plane.
Admitted to No 45 General Hospital which was located in the Pembroke Garrison Gymnasium, Don was evacuated back to England where he spent the next eight months in hospital and rehabilitation. He was subsequently reclassified fit for operations in April 1943. Promoted to Flight Lieutenant, on 20 May 1943, Don married Margaret (Peggy) Mary Julian PRICE, a nurse with Princes Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS), who had cared for him during his hospitalisation.
Posted to No 41 Squadron RAF on 23 May 1943, Don was now flying one of the new Griffon-engine Spitfire Mark XII’s; the engine was designed to Royal Naval specifications enabling the engine to generate good power at low altitudes. From late June 1943, the Squadron flew daily escort to RAF bombers to targets in France, Belgium and the Netherlands and Ramrod escorts to formations of between 50 and 15 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-26 Marauders. ‘Ramrod’ operations were used to induce Luftwaffe fighters into battles with the British fighter escorts.
On 11 April 1944, it was announced Don had been awarded the Soviet Medal for Valour. The award was not for any specific act of valour in connection with service with Soviet Forces, but rather the Soviet Government had given 1,000 of the medals to the British Government to be awarded to personnel the British saw fit to award to. FLT LT Donald SMITH happened to be one of the lucky recipients.
On 2 May 1944, Don was posted to 453 Squadron RAAF as its Commanding Officer and promoted to Acting Squadron Leader. No 453 Squadron was equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXb and in July the Squadron received the IXe variant. At this time, the Squadron was involved in ground attack duties in the lead up to the Normandy invasion. Soon after D-Day, the Squadron moved to France and operated from the hastily constructed landing field B11 at Longues-sur-Mer, close to the front line. As the Allies advanced, the Squadron continued to move forward enabling it to provide close support to the ground troops. On 16 June, a large-scale dogfight was fought with 12 Me Bf109’s over Caen, during which several were shot down.
In September 1944, the Squadron was withdrawn back to England and refitted over the next three months with the Spitfire Mark IXb. Having completed over 200 missions, Don was transferred from frontline service and posted to HQ Air Defence Great Britain (ADGB), the RAF Command responsible for the air defence of Britain.
On 9 September 1944, Don was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the citation read “Skilful leader in a large number of varied sorties and proved himself to be a gallant and skilful leader”.
He remained with ADGB in an advisory capacity until 15 January 1945 when he was posted to No 11 Personnel Despatch and Reception Depot (PDRC) at Bournemouth as its Commanding Officer as Acting Wing Commander. With the surrender of Germany on 8 May 1945, the Australian airmen in Britain were being repatriated as quickly as sea passages could be arranged. Don embarked from Southampton on 25 September for the voyage back to Australia. He disembarked in Melbourne on 17 October 1945, his wife later followed. After a few weeks leave, Don reported to No 4 ED on 26 November 1945 for his pre-discharge medical and processing and was demobilised on 4 December 1945.
Don resumed farming near Victor; he longed for flying and later travelled to England and enlisted in the Royal Air Force on a short service commission basis. His RAF Flying Log Book records his RAF service from July 1951 to January 1955; aircraft flown included the de Havilland Vampire V, the Gloster Meteor 7 and de Havilland Vampire T11, a trainer aircraft with side-by-side seating – all were jet propulsion aircraft. Don attained the rank of Wing Commander and holds a rare distinction of having achieved that senior rank in both air forces – the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force.
Don completed his term with the RAF and returned to Australia; he and Mary adopted two English-born children, Penelope and Anthony and returned to Australia with their larger family.
Don returned to farming on his Tangmere property on Sawpit Road, Inman Valley. Don named the property Tangmere after RAF Tangmere Station in England. A farm injury in the dairy forced Don to retire from agriculture and the family moved to Adelaide. He only found about twenty years later that the fall in the dairy had caused a serious back injury; Don later had a triple by-pass operation which was performed by the renowned heart surgeon, Dr Chang. He remained active in the air force association and squadron reunions over the ensuing years where he always paid tribute to all members of the squadron, include the ground crews who were dedicated to maintaining the aircraft ready for battle.
Donald Hamilton Smith died on 6 January 1999, age 83, and was interred in the Victor Harbor Cemetery.
