Mission: Night Flying Practice

Date: 14th November 1938 (Monday)

Unit: 9 Squadron

Type: Handley Page Heyford III

Serial: K5194

Base: RAF Stradishall, Suffolk

Location: RAF Stradishall Airfield Boundary, Suffolk

Pilot: Wg Cdr. Harry Augustus Smith MC. RAF Age 44. Killed

2nd Pilot: Plt Off. Aubrey Ward Jackson. RAF Age 20. Killed

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Plt Off. Aubrey Ward Jackson (courtesy nephew Andy Jackson) Handley Page Heyford (courtesy Kate Tame)

The Officers, NCOs and Airmen. No. 9 (Bomber) Squadron, Stradishall. 3rd November 1938. (courtesy of Kate Tame)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Stradishall for a night flying practice. The aircraft undershot the flare path and crashed with force into some trees just short of the airfield boundary and burst into flames on impact, killing both Wg Cdr. Smith and Plt Off. Jackson.

Their deaths were reported in The Guardian dated Tuesday, November 15th 1938.

Burial details:

Above: Stradishall (St. Margarets) Churchyard, Suffolk

Above: Grave marker for Wg Cdr. Harry Augustus Smith MC.

Wg Cdr. Harry Augustus Smith MC. Stradishall (St. Margarets) Churchyard, Suffolk. His probate record left effects to his widow Mary Isabella Gauld Smith. No further information.

In 1915 Harry Augustus Smith enlisted in the Coldstream Guards as a Private with the service number of 11812.
In 1916 H.A. Smith qualified as a RFC pilot.
In 1918 2nd Lt. H.A. Smith was awarded the Military Cross (MC). Promulgated in the London Gazette 18th July 1918. Citation reads:
"2nd Lt. (T./Capt.) Harry Augustus Smith, Midd’x Reg. and RFC. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On five separate occasions during raids on pointe beyond the enemy lines he has found his objectives, although on more than one occasion he was badly hampered by adverse conditions. He drove down one enemy plane out of control, and engaged two others with indecisive results owing to the clouds. He has taken part in many bombing raids, and his example of energy and determination has been of the utmost value to his squadron".On the 22nd September 1923 Ft Lt. H.A. Smith MC was posted to the school of photography.
On the 14th January 1924 Ft Lt. H.A. Smith MC was posted to 39 Squadron, RAF Spittlegate.
On the 7th December 1926 Ft Lt. H.A. Smith MC was posted to 55 Squadron, Iraq.
On the 3rd July 1928 Ft Lt. H.A. Smith MC was promoted to Sqn Ldr. and in 1929 he was posted to RAF Depot, Uxbridge.
On the 7th October 1930 he was posted to Home Aircraft Depot, RAF Henlow.
During July 1935 Sqn Ldr. H.A. Smith MC was promoted to Wg Cdr. and on the 26th August 1935 he was posted to No. 3 Armament Training Camp, Sutton Bridge.
On the 28th February 1938 Wg Cdr. H.A. Smith MC was posted to 9 Squadron at RAF Scampton as the Commanding Officer of the Squadron.

Above the sadly overgrown Grave marker for Plt Off. Aubrey Ward Jackson

Plt Off. Aubrey Ward Jackson. Stradishall (St. Margarets) Churchyard, Suffolk. Son of Harold Charles and Mary Constance Jackson of Minster-in-Thanet, Kent.

On the 30th January 1937 Aubrey Ward Jackson was granted a short service commission as Acting Per Off. on probation.
On the 4th April 1937 Plt Off. Jackson was posted to 9 Squadron on appointment to permanent commission from No. 2 Flying School, RAF Digby, Lincolnshire.

Researched by: Kate Tame for Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With special thanks to Andy Jackson - nephew of Plt Off. Jackson and the Flightglobal Archives. Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2021). Credit to darealjolo - FindAGrave for the images from Stradishall (St. Margarets) Churchyard (Nov 2021). Other acknowledgements below.

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