Francis Smith (RAAF officer)
Francis Ryan Smith, was an Australian flying ace of the First World War, credited with 16 aerial victories. Following the war, he studied engineering and worked in China, eventually starting his own aviation business. During the Second World War, Smith served in the Royal Australian Air Force, as a squadron leader. World War I service Francis Ryan Smith was born 23 July 1896, in Brisbane, Queensland. He worked as a clerk before joining the Australian Imperial Force on 20 July 1915, during the First World War. As an infantry officer, he served with distinction in the 31st Battalion, seeing action on the Western Front at Fromelles and then later around Armentieres in 1916, for which he was awarded the Military Cross, for bravery under fire. He transferred to the Australian Flying Corps for training, then joined No. 2 Squadron AFC as a pilot on 28 February 1918. Piloting a RAF SE.5a, he was credited with a total of 16 aerial victories, consisting of nine enemy aircraft sent down out of control, and seven others destroyed including one shared. Along the way, Smith became a Flight Leader by mid-September 1918; he also became his squadron's leading ace. Additionally, he became the