E. Brian Smith 1922-1956

Brian Smith was born in 1922. He joined the RAF aged 19 and trained in the USA for 7 months. He returned to England for a year before posting to Indian and Burma flying gliders and Dakotas.


From 1946 he did a great deal of private flying in Australia,,New Zealand,USA and Canada until 1948 when he joined No 501 Sqn R.Aux.AF,flying Spitfires and Vampires.


 He joined the Gloster Aircraft Company in 1948 in Sales, he left in 1949 and re=joined as a Test Pilot in 1950. He was primarily engaged in production testing of Meteors and ferrying aircraft to Egypt. He was transferred to Experimental testing, first flying the Javelin in 1953.


He was killed following a mid-air collision in Augsut 1956. He was flying a Javelin from Moreton Valence when he was involved in a collision with an RAF Hunter. Mr Smith and his navigator F/L R.Jeffries ejected from the aircraft,but he failed to separate from his seat and was killed.