Donald Philip Smeed Smith DFC RAAF and crew – 103 Squadron / 467 Squadron – WW2
Donald Philip Smeed Smith ( pictured above ), known as Phil, was an industrial chemist working in the sugar industry when he joined the RAAF in 1940. By November 1940 he had made his first solo in a Tiger Moth at Tamworth. He arrived in the UK in July 1941 and flew the first operation of his tour in October of that year with 103 Squadron, Elsham Wolds as co-pilot mostly with David Morgan Jones. See below :-
17-Oct-1941 – Wellington R1217 – P/O Jones
31-Oct-1941 – Wellington T2921 – P/O Jones
07-Nov-1941 – Wellington T2921 – P/O Jones
09-Nov-1941 – Hamburg – Wellington – P/O Jones
26-Nov-1941 – Emden - Wellington R1667 – P/O Peck
28-Dec-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington Z1171 – P/O D M Jones
06-Jan1941 – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O D M Jones
06-Feb-1942 – Brest - Wellington Z1171 – P/O D M Jones.
He was then made captain of his own crew which, for the first operation was as follows :-
P/O DPS Smith,
Sgt A Nixon,
P/O J C Eldridge,
Sgt W H Yates,
Sgt J W Edwards,
Sgt N C Leake,
This crew had quite a few changes during the tour and for the last operation was :-
P/O D P S Smith
Sgt L A C Angell
F/S D M MacDonald,
F/S R G Hawthorn,
F/S R G Stolz-Page
By this time they were flying without a co-pilot as became standard practise. Their tour was as follows :-
09-Mar-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Violent evasive action over target.
10-Mar-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Violent evasive action. Heavily engaged by defences
13-Mar-42 – Cologne - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
25-Mar-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
27-Mar-42 - St Nazaire - Operation Chariot – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Took off from Pershore. Unable to locate primary due to 10/10ths cloud cover down to below 500 ft. Landed at Tatton Hill.
07-Apr-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Jettisoned bombs through 10/10ths cloud owing to excessive petrol consumption and severe icing conditions
08-Apr-42 - Hamburg - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
10-Apr-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – R1344 – P/O DPS Smith
12-Apr-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith – ER - Generator U/S
14-Apr-42 – Dortmund - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Landed at Coltishall owing to petrol shortage.
18-Apr-42 – Hamburg - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith - Caught in intense search lights and flak and abandoned primary. Bombed search light concentrations near Bremen
28-Apr-42 – Kiel - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1152 – P/O DPS Smith
29-Apr-42 - Paris/ Gennevilliers - Gnome Rhone factory – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
04-May-42 - Stuttgart - Bosch plug factory – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
05-May-42 - Stuttgart - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
08-May-42 – Warnemunde - Point of Aim – Wellington – Z1171 – P/O DPS Smith
30-May-42 - Cologne - Point of Aim – Wellington – DV882 – P/O DPS Smith
01-Jun-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – DV882 – P/O DPS Smith
02-Jun-42 – Essen - Point of Aim – Wellington – X9666 – P/O DPS Smith - Hit by flak. Damaged bomb doors and tailplane.
11-Jun-42 - Ameland/Dutch coast - Mine laying – Wellington – DV882 – P/O DPS Smith
Phil Smith pictured behind David Holford before an operation
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Phil became an instructor at OTU. In late 1943 he returned to operations via 1668 Conversion Unit at Syerston and was eventually posted to 467 Pathfinder Squadron at RAF Waddington. He flew his 51st operation to Lille on the 10/11th May 1944 in Lancaster LM475 in which he was the Deputy Controller. The aircraft exploded near the target, and crashed at Lezennes/Ronchin in the south east suburbs astride the railway marshalling yards and workshops which are still there.
Incidentally Ronchin was the site of a WW1 aerodrome which 103 Squadron bombed during 1918 and where they were based immediately after WW1 For several months.
Phil Smith was violently propelled out through the cockpit roof by the explosion was able to pull the ripcord on his parachute and amazingly land relatively unscathed. All the other 6 crew members perished. In view of the sudden violent explosion he was understandably unable to recall any details. Luckily he was hidden by a French family until liberated by the allied forces in September 1944.
He was repatriated to Australia but was hospitalised in early 1945 with peritonitis which was only cured by a massive dose of penicillin. He was not demobbed until late 1945, spending the time as Commanding Officer of 88 Operational Base Unit, Bundaberg.
Sqn Ldr Smith awarded DFC whilst with 467 Squadron. Gazetted 6 June 1944.
He was also awarded MiD whilst with 103 Squadron. Gazetted 2 June 1943.
After the war he met and married Mollie, had a family and returned to the sugar industry. Philip Smith sadly passed away 2003.
Item compiled by David Fell with photos from the Smith family and grateful acknowledgement to Adam Purcell and his excellent website Something Very Big Thanks to John Jones for his additional info
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