Sir Charles Kingsford
Smith
(1897-1935)
By Zoe Herrera
Biography
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was born on the 9th February 1897
in Hamilton, a Brisbane suburb. Kingsford was added to the
family surname in Canada because there were lots of people
in their street that had the surname Smith.
When he was 18 he enlisted in the AIF and he also served in
Gallipoli. As a dispatch rider he went to Egypt and France. He
was transferred to the British Royal Flying Corps in 1917. His
nickname was Smithy. He also once performed plane stunts
for Hollywood silent movies. He quit it because one of his
colleages died doing this. One of his famous planes is the
Southern Cross.
What His Contribution Was
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made a lot of
contributions to aviation. He enlisted in the 1st
AIF (Australian Army) and served in Gallipoli for
the ANZACs. Smithy also broke a lot of records
for Australia and with lots of faith and stamina
he is placed among the planet’s best pioneers.
Some Of His Accomplishments
In August 1928 he flew non-stop across Australia. He was the
first person to do this. Also in 1931 Anthony Fokker declared
to him ‘the greatest (man) flying in the world today’ In 1932
he was knighted for his contributions to aviation.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith did the first around-the-world
flight and was also called the greatest pilot. There is a
Sydney suburb called Kingsford that is named after him. The
Sydney International Airport is also named after him.
His Last Flight
In November 1935 Smithy and his co-pilot Tommy
Pethybridge left England to go to Australia in the plane
Lady Southern Cross. They were on their way to
Singapore for their last part of the journey. They never
made it. They are believed to have crashed into the
coast of Burma. They were last seen at 1:30am on the
7th of November.
Today the memory of him and his amazing
accomplishments remain alive through many memorials.
Interesting Facts
Smithy’s middle name is Edward. He is the fifth son and seventh
child of William Charles Smith and Catherine Mary, nee
Kingsford. Smithy was twice married, first he was married to
Thelma Eileen Corboy on 6 June 1923 and they divorced in 1928.
His second marriage was to Mary Powell on 10 December 1930.
Together they had one son who was born on the 22 December in
1932.
The Southern Cross now displayed in a memorial to Sir Charles
Kingsford Smith. He sold the plane for 3000 pounds to the
Australian Government in 1935. This was to put it on permanent
display to the public.