Langley Frank Willard Smith (15 August 1897 – 12 June 1917) was a Canadian

Flying Ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

in World War I credited with 8 victories.O'Connor, M. ''Airfields & Airmen of the Channel Coast''. Pen & Sword Military, 2005. p. 46 .

Background

Smith was born in Philipsburg, in the

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, and was brought up by his grandmother, his father having been widowed. Whilst attending Flying School in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

, Smith accidentally stepped into a revolving

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

and received near-fatal head injuries. However he completed his training at the Curtiss Flying School in

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

, qualifying as a pilot on 29 June 1916.

Involvement in World War 1

Posted to 4 Naval Squadron on 25 April 1917, he scored eight victories flying the Sopwith Pup. In June 1917, his squadron was the first to receive the new

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

. A few days later, while attempting to intercept a flight of 16 Gotha bombers, Smith was killed when his Camel lost a wing and broke up in mid-air. He is buried in the Houtave Churchyard, Zuienkerke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Decorations

* Distinguished Service Cross *

Belgian Croix de guerre The ( French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' ( Dutch) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield. The award was reesta ...

* Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Couronne (Knight of the Order of the Crown)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Langley Frank Willard 1897 births 1917 deaths People from Saint-Armand, Quebec Canadian World War I flying aces Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian military personnel from Quebec Canadian recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)