Irving Smith (RAF officer)

Irving Smith
Irving Smith
	Irving Smith, commander of No. 487 Squadron
Nickname(s)	Black
Born	21 May 1917; Invercargill, New Zealand
Died	16 February 2000 (aged 82); Devon, England
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	Royal New Zealand Air Force (1939–1940); Royal Air Force (1940–1966)
Rank	Group Captain
Commands held	RAF Jever; RAF Church Fenton; No. 56 Squadron; No. 487 (NZ) Squadron; No. 151 Squadron
Battles/wars	Second World War Battle of Britain; The Blitz; Operation Jericho; D-Day landings;
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar; Mention in despatches

Irving Stanley Smith CBE, DFC & Bar (21 May 1917 – 16 February 2000) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of eight German aircraft. He was also involved in Operation Jericho, an air raid on a German-controlled prison in Amiens, France.

Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, Smith joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in early 1939 but was sent in England for training and subsequently gained a short service commission with the RAF. He flew Hawker Hurricane fighters with No. 151 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. The squadron switched to night fighting duties during the Blitz and by 1942 he was its commander. He spent most of 1943 on staff duties but returned to operations in February 1944 as commander of No. 487 (NZ) Squadron which operated the de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber. He led it for the most of 1944, including during Operation Jericho and in air support duties for the D-Day landings in Normandy. The final months of the war was spent on instructing duties. Having gained a permanent commission in the RAF, he held a series of flying and administrative posts in the postwar period until his retirement in 1966. He later farmed in Devon and died in 2000, at the age of 82.