LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Alan Finlay SMITH
Service No: 412728
Born: Stanmore NSW, 14 January 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 July 1941
Unit: No. 616 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Fairwood Common
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 616 Squadron Tiger Moth aircraft DE481), Hampshire, 21 October 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Lurus John and Veda Mary Smith, of Coogee, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 10 July 1943, Pilot Officer Smith survived the crash of Marauder FK512 in Tunisia in which Flying Officer Ernest James Bertuch (401294) and Warrant Officer Frederick Vincent Parker (401629) were fatally injured.
On 21 October 1943, Tiger Moth DE481 from Fairwood Common crashed at the Fairlie Estate, Ringwood, Hampshire and the two crew members were killed.
The crew members of DE481 were:
Sergeant Edwin Robert Cole (1390924) (RAFVR) (Pilot) Supernumerary
Pilot Officer Alan Finlay Smith (412728) (Pilot)
An enquiry into the accident reported that: “the Pilot, Pilot Officer Smith, while engaged in unauthorised low flying over the London Tavern Hotel, Ringwood, which is 10 miles south of Bournemouth, misjudged his height after doing a stall turn to the right over the hotel, at approximately 100 feet. While pulling up out of the resultant dive, the aircraft lost flying speed, stalled and crashed 600 feet from the hotel. Both occupants were killed and the aircraft was a write off. The occupants of the aircraft both knew the proprietor of the hotel, and carried out two circuits of the hotel at 100 feet waving at the proprietor before doing a stall turn and crashing. All flying controls were in order as far as we are able to ascertain, and the engine was running normally at the time of the impact, but this cannot be substantiated until the engine is pulled down and examined.”
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/38/312 A705, 166/5/217 (Bertuch 401294) Page 31
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002