Keith Macpherson Smith
Encyclopedia
Sir Keith Macpherson Smith KBE
, (20 December 1890 – 19 December 1955) was an Australian aviator
, who, along with his brother, Sir Ross Macpherson Smith
and two other men, became the first people to fly from England to Australia.
On 12 November 1919, the brothers, along with Sergeant Jim Bennett and Sergeant Wally Shiers, departed from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
, England, in a Vickers Vimy
aeroplane, eventually landing in Darwin
, Australia on 10 December, having taken less than 28 days with an actual flying time of 135 hours. The four men shared the £10,000 prize money put forward by the Australian government for the feat. Keith and Ross were immediately knighted, while Shiers and Bennett were commissioned and each awarded a Bar to their Air Force Medal
s.
The aircraft is preserved in a museum in Adelaide
, Australia.
. His mother was born in Western Australia, daughter of a Scottish pioneer. Both boys boarded at Queen's School in Adelaide, and for two years at Warriston School, in Scotland.
Smith flew in the Royal Air Force
as a pilot between 1917 and 1919.
Smith had planned an around-the-world flight in 1922, but abandoned it after his brother Ross was killed during a test flight. He then lived and worked in Sydney
as an agent for Vickers
, vice-president of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (taken over by Qantas
in 1954), and as a director of Qantas Empire & Tasman Empire Airways Limited (a subsidiary of Imperial Airways
which was the forerunner of British Airways
).
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, (20 December 1890 – 19 December 1955) was an Australian aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, who, along with his brother, Sir Ross Macpherson Smith
Ross Macpherson Smith
Sir Ross Macpherson Smith KBE, MC & Bar, DFC & Two Bars, AFC was an Australian aviator, who, along with his brother, Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, became the first pilots to fly from England to Australia, ....
and two other men, became the first people to fly from England to Australia.
On 12 November 1919, the brothers, along with Sergeant Jim Bennett and Sergeant Wally Shiers, departed from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome
Hounslow Heath Aerodrome was a grass airfield, operational 1914-1920. It was situated in the London borough of Hounslow, and in 1919 was the location from which the first scheduled daily international commercial air services took place.-1909-1914:...
, England, in a Vickers Vimy
Vickers Vimy
The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft of the First World War and post-First World War era. It achieved success as both a military and civil aircraft, setting several notable records in long-distance flights in the interwar period, the most celebrated of which was the first non-stop...
aeroplane, eventually landing in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Australia on 10 December, having taken less than 28 days with an actual flying time of 135 hours. The four men shared the £10,000 prize money put forward by the Australian government for the feat. Keith and Ross were immediately knighted, while Shiers and Bennett were commissioned and each awarded a Bar to their Air Force Medal
Air Force Medal
The Air Force Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active...
s.
The aircraft is preserved in a museum in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia.
Early life
His father emigrated from Scotland to Western Australia, and later became a pastoralist in South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. His mother was born in Western Australia, daughter of a Scottish pioneer. Both boys boarded at Queen's School in Adelaide, and for two years at Warriston School, in Scotland.
Smith flew in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a pilot between 1917 and 1919.
Smith had planned an around-the-world flight in 1922, but abandoned it after his brother Ross was killed during a test flight. He then lived and worked in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as an agent for Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
, vice-president of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (taken over by Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
in 1954), and as a director of Qantas Empire & Tasman Empire Airways Limited (a subsidiary of Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
which was the forerunner of British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
).