Sydney Philip Smith

Who was Sydney Philip Smith?

Captain Sydney Philip Smith was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

Sydney Philip Smith was born at Aldershot in May 1895. Educated at King's College School, Wimbledon, he joined the OTC and was reportedly a crack shot, captaining his school rifle team at the annual schools competition at Bisley. He enlisted at the outbreak of war in the Public Schools Battalion, before being commissioned as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant of the Royal Army Service Corps in December 1914. After initial service with the Army Service Corps, Smith served with the Wessex Division and going to France in March 1915. He was posted to the Royal Flying Corps in early 1916. He qualified as a pilot on 24 May 1916. He then in June served as a pilot flying the Royal Aircraft Factory BE 2d in 6 Squadron. By December he was a Captain and flight Commander.

He wrote home to his father in October 1916; ‘A letter by way of a change this time. Things have been happening with a vengeance since I returned. I daresay you heard from the aunts about some of ‘em: my observer getting a “Blighty” in the leg; fellows being blown to pieces by bombs, etc., etc. Well the day after I brought down Captain Duff wounded, I went up in the same machine on a “Shoot” with another observer, and got it in the neck properly from “Archie”: my propeller was smashed, petrol tank punctured [emptied itself all over my observer’s feet in about 2 seconds!], both main spars of the two top planes split right through, engine cowl pierced and about 27 holes in other parts of the machine. This was all from 2 practically simultaneous bursts dead over the machine, and they sounded like the crack of doom! However, we managed to struggle painfully back to the aerodrome, feeling jolly lucky that there was enough propeller left to drag us back and also that the spare petrol tank was intact [machine is still in the process of rebuilding!!] ...’