William
Here is some info on my chap and a little on the squadron that the guys might find interesting:
Z533 2nd C/AM Rupert Stanford Smyth
26th (South African) Squadron Royal Flying Corps
Service in German East Africa
Born in Melbourne Australia on the 21st April 1899, Smyth who was living in Johannesburg at the time was a Motor Mechanic by trade. He was a member of the Church of England and gave his father James Raymond Smyth also living in Johannesburg as his next-of-kin. At 19 he initially attested with the Mechanised Transport section of the South African Service Corps attached to the S.A. Squadron R.F.C. with the number MT 4893 on the 24th April 1917 at Roberts Heights, Pretoria. However his stay with the SASC MT Section was short lived and after only 19 days he was “discharged” on the 11th May1917 in consequence of “Re-attesting from the RFC South African Section East Africa to the RFC ground service Authority 22/3 from Z 34 dd 10th May 1917”.
After undergoing a full medical at Roberts Heights his re-attestation with 26 Squadron R.F.C. took place on the 15th May1917 at Potchefstroom, and he was allocated a new service number Z533 with the rank of 2nd Class Air Mechanic. He embarked on the 13/14th June 1917 at Durban per HMT Anchis and proceeded to German East Africa disembarking at Dar-es-Salaam on the 26th June 1917.
No. 26 Squadron whose Afrikaans motto was 'N Wagter in die Lug (A guard in the sky) had been formed at Netheravon on 8 October 1915 from mainly personnel of the South African Aviation Corps. It was equipped with B.E.2c’s and Henri Farman F-27’s and sent to East Africa in 1915, arriving in Mombasa at the end of January 1916. The squadron flew mainly reconnaissance and occasional bombing missions in the hunt for the elusive German forces. In February 1918 it was dispatched back to the UK where it was meant to have officially been disbanded at Blandford in July 1918. (However there is photographic proof ostensibly showing a 26th Squadron picture that is dated 1919)
As with most European troops in this tropical campaign Smyth suffered from bouts of malaria, leading to him having to be hospitalised on a number of occasions. He was eventually invalided back to South Africa per SS Takada on the 22nd January 1918 and disembarked in Durban on the 29th January 1918. He was treated at various hospitals in the Union and finally demobilised at Wynberg in Cape Town on the 11th May 1918, after serving for 326 days.
His full medal entitlement was a British War and Victory Medal (unilingual) pair issued by the R.F.C. and not by the South African authorities. The pair comes with a silver medalet with the Union of South Africa Coat of Arms surrounded with the wording South African Union Defence Force on one side and the other side engraved with his name.
There have been examples of both the unilingual and bilingual Victory Medal to members of this squadron sold on previous DNW auctions. In his records there is a request for the Smyth’s service records by the Officer in Charge RAF records at Ruislip: Uxbridge: Middlesex. The said record request refers to a “minute numbered Medals/291623 dated the 26th April 1924”. Was it is possible that due to fact that Smyth being an Australian by birth that his medals were issued by the R.A.F.?
FOOTNOTE Re: 26 Squadron RAF
Between the wars
On 11 October 1927 No. 26 Squadron was reformed at Catterick as a single flight of Atlas army co-operation aircraft and on 1 September 1938 a second flight was added. In July 1933 Audaxes were received which were replaced by Hectors in August 1937.
Second World War
By the out-break of World War 2 the Squadron had been equipped with Lysanders and in October 1939 it was moved to France. When the Germans invaded Belgium in May 1940 No. 26 was forced to move to Lympne where it flew reconnaissance, bombing and supply missions over northern France. Coastal patrols began in June and training with the army occupied most of the Squadrons time for the next few years. In February 1941 Tomahawks began to arrive to replace the Lysanders for tactical reconnaissance missions. In October 1941 the Tomahawks began to fly low-level ground attack sorties over northern France but they lacked the performance required for operations of this nature so in January 1942 they were replaced by Mustangs. The tactical reconnaissance and day intruder missions continued until July 1943, when the Squadron moved to Yorkshire and then in March 1944 to Scotland. In preparations for the Normandy landings No. 26 trained in spotting naval guns, a task it carried out on and after D-Day. For this role the Squadron was equipped with Spitfires although they reverted back to Mustangs in December 1944 for reconnaissance missions over the Netherlands. In April 1945 the Squadron spent two weeks spotting for French warships bombarding pockets of German resistance before being transferred to Germany in August. No. 26 remained here until 1 April 1946 when it was disbanded.
Post war
On the same day, No. 41 Squadron was renumbered as No. 26 Squadron at Wunstorf and it flew Spitfires and Tempests until April 1949 when it was re-equipped with Vampires. In November 1953 No. 26 was converted to Sabre jet fighters and remained a day-fighter unit until it was disbanded on 10 September 1957. It was reformed with Hunters at Gutersloh on 7 June 1958 but was disbanded again on 30 December 1960. Reformed again at Odiham on 1 June 1962, No. 26 became a helicopter Squadron flying Belvederes. It was moved to Aden in 1963 and then on to Singapore on 30 November 1965 where it was merged with No. 66 Squadron. On 3 February 1969 the Northern Communication Squadron at Wyton was re-designated No. 26 Squadron until it was finally disbanded on 1 April 1976.
Regards
Brian
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