Smithy: The Life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith

by Ian Mackersey

During his brief 38 years of life, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was one of the most celebrated public idols in history, becoming for a few years in the early 30's a legend across the world for his brilliance as a pilot and his charismatic style among the pioneers of long-distance flying. The first person to fly an aircraft across the Pacific from America to Australia, he broke many solo flying records, and this brought him a status greater than any modern astronaut—a crowd of 300,000 greeted him in Sydney. But the price of his heroism was high, and the demands for celebrity and a messy private life ended in tragedy off the coast of Burma in 1935 in an attempt to fly from England to Australia. This biography explores his life and flying career.

Genres: Biography, Aviation

480 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 1998

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Kingsford Smith’s passing signalled the beginning of the end of the romantic age of Australian aviation.’

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith MC, AFC (9 February 1897 – 8 November 1935), nicknamed ‘Smithy’ was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first trans-Pacific flight between the USA and Australia (leaving the USA on 31 May 1928 and arriving on Australian soil on 9 June 1928). He also undertook the first flight between Australia and New Zealand.

In this carefully researched book, first published in 1998, Mr Mackersey provides the most complete biography of Kingsford Smith currently available. We also see glimpses of the man behind the legend: his messy private life and business failures. Kingsford Smith packed a lot into his brief 38 years of life.

While interested in the more complete picture of Kingsford Smith that Mr Mackersey provided, I prefer to focus on his achievements. In 1915, at the age of 18, Kingsford Smith joined the Australian Army. He later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917 after being shot down. He returned to Australia in 1921 and became one of the country’s first commercial pilots after joining West Australian Airways.

After completing the first trans-Pacific flight in 1928 (California to Brisbane, via Hawaii and Fiji) he and Charles Ulm became celebrities. The other two members of the crew were James Warner and Harry Lyon. While Ulm and Kingsford Smith established Australian National Airways, Kingsford Smith had little interest in commercial endeavours. His focus was on air races and other aviation feats. While he was a brilliant pilot, Kingsford Smith had a crippling fear of water and, as Mr Mackersey’s research revealed, had a ‘compulsion for recklessness in the air when relaxed by drink.’

In 1935, Kingsford Smith and his co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge, in the Lady Southern Cross, disappeared over the Andaman Sea while attempting to break the record flying from England to Australia.

The research for this biography took seven years, and Mr Mackersey has listed many individuals and organisations who provided assistance, including Kingsford Smith’s widow, son and other family members. The book also includes a chronology of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s Principal Flights as well as an extensive bibliography.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the life and achievements of one of Australia’s best known aviation pioneers.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not instantly recognisable, the name of Charles Kingsford Smith deserves its place in aviation folklore. An international celebratory in the 1920s, this Australian aviator piloted the first flights across the Pacific in both directions, traversed the Tasman Sea and made the first successful westbound crossing of the Atlantic.

This book has been written with the co-operation of his widow and family, and is a wonderfully detailed biography of an amazing man who suffered a morbid fear of the sea, yet overcame this to fly over the greatest oceans on the planet. His addiction to fame and flying led him to his great accomplishements, and the mystery of his ultimate demise in 1935. The epilogue of this book describes the author's ambitious expedition to uncover this mystery off the Burmese coast.

This is the most enjoyable biography I have read. I recommend it to everyone.

[Peter Langston · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best of the biographies on Smithy I have read although I find it hard to believe that his various ailments and behaviour don’t fit comfortably under the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. A wild and extravagant character.

[Ang · Rating 2 out of 5]

An incredible amount of research in this well written account.