| Sir Ross Macpherson Smith | |
|---|---|
Capt. Ross (left) and Lieut. Keith (right) Smith in 1921. |
|
| Full name | Sir Ross Macpherson Smith |
| Born | 4 December 1892 Semaphore, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 13 April 1922 (aged 29) Weybridge, England |
| Cause of death | Aviation accident |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Relatives | Sir Keith Macpherson Smith (brother) |
| Aviation career | |
| Known for | Flying ace, pioneering aviator |
| Famous flights | Pioneer flight from Cairo to Calcutta Pioneer flight from England to Australia |
| Air force | Australian Flying Corps |
| Battles | |
| Rank | Captain |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross & Two Bars Air Force Cross |
Sir Ross Macpherson Smith KBE, MC & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC (4 December 1892 – 13 April 1922) was an Australian aviator, who, along with his brother, Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, became the first pilots to fly from England to Australia, (in 1919).
His father migrated to Western Australia from Scotland and became a pastoralist in South Australia. His mother was born in Western Australia, the daughter of a pioneer from Scotland. The boys boarded in Adelaide, at Queen's School and for two years, in Scotland.
He enlisted in 1914 in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, landing at Gallipoli 13 May 1915. In 1917, he volunteered for the Australian Flying Corps. He was later twice awarded the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross three times, becoming and air ace with 11 confirmed aerial victories.
Smith was pilot for T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and fought in aerial combat missions in the MIddle East. He is mentioned several times in Lawrence's book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Chapter 114.
In 1919, he and brother Keith, Sergeant Jim Bennett and Sergeant Wally Shiers flew from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, England, on 12 November 1919 in a Vickers Vimy, eventually landing in Darwin Australia on 10 December, taking less than 28 days, with actual flying time of 135 hours. The four men shared the £10,000 prize money put forward by the Australian government.
Ross Smith was killed (along with recently commissioned Lieutenant Bennett) while testing a Vickers Viking amphibian aircraft which crashed in Byfleet soon after taking off from Brooklands on 13 April 1922. The bodies were transported to Australia and Smith was given a state funeral and later buried on 15 June at the North Road Cemetery, Adelaide.
The great Australian cricketer Keith Ross Miller was named after Smith and his brother.