Air Marshal Sir Roy Austen-Smith obituary

[Lyneham Lad]

In The Times
Air Marshal Sir Roy Austen-Smith obituary

Lengthy obit plus photos. RIP.

Austen-Smith was awarded the DFC for “gallantry and devotion to duty on operations in Malaya”, where he was a flight commander with No 33 Squadron, based at RAF Butterworth near Penang. He flew single-engine Tempest Mk II fighters and then twin-engine Hornets, attacking communist targets in support of British ground troops such as the Gordon Highlanders, Manchesters and West Kents, who were confronting the Malayan rebels at that time.

[charliegolf]

An enjoyable read which flopped a bit at the end with...

"By the end of his flying career he had flown a remarkable 25 types of aircraft and ten more of their variants, building up more than 2,000 hours of flying."

Just the one logbook then? I think not. RIP.

CG

[Chugalug2]

Another of that WWII generation, now all but gone. They all seem to have come out of the same mould, much like our own much lamented Danny42C, self effacing with a sense of humour that disguised a deeply felt sense of duty. We are all the poorer for their passing.

RIP, Sir. Duty Done.