Charles Kingsford Smith

1. Charles Kingsford Smith EDITED COPY by Lucy Field

2. Biography Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (“Smithy”) was born on the 9th February 1896 in Brisbane. Charles attended school in Canada, then later went to school in Sydney before finally attending Sydney Technical High School. In the February of 1915, three years after being part of the Senior Cadets, Kingsford-Smith enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He then went to war in Gallipoli. In October 1916 he changed from the AIF into the Australian Flying Corps. Kingsford-Smith wanted to participate in the England to Australia air race in 1919, but was not permitted due to the fact that he had “inadequate flight experience”.

3. Biography “Smithy,” not letting this move get him down, went to the USA and was a stunt rider in a circus for a brief amount of time. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-pacific from the USA to Australia. He also made the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland, and made a flight from Australia to London, setting a new record of 10.5 days. Due to his many achievements, Smithy appeared on the old $20 note.

4. Was Smithy really the "good bloke" that people think he was? It was hard to tell if Charles Kingsford Smith was the “good bloke” people thought he was. He was described by friends as “approachable”, decent, kind, generous and tolerant. It was said that he would “never speak unkindly of anybody.”

5. Was Smithy really the "good bloke" that people think he was? The accounts told by his friends make him seem like a nice enough guy, but many other records show that he wasn’t the “good bloke” as so many thought the aviator was. He often flew drunk, crashed many planes and offered free joyrides to females in return for sexual favours. So, it is hard to tell whether or not Smithy was as good as people thought he was. However, the aforementioned information shows that he has doubtful moral character.

6. What made Smithy such a "legend"? Smithy was such a legend because he had legendary flying skills. He also broke the record for solo flight from England to Australia as well as completed the first around the world flight. In 1930, he flew 10,000 miles by himself.

7. What made Smithy such a "legend"? In 1928, he completed the first flight from the USA to Australia, which is when he reached world-wide fame. He was also made famous when he completed the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland, and made a flight from Australia to London, setting a new world record.

8. What happened to him when he died? Charles Kingsford Smith along with his fellow pilot John Thompson “Tommy” Pethybridge were planning to fly from Allahabad, India to Singapore, so as to try and beat the speed record from England to Australia. The pair disappeared along with the Lady Southern Cross in the Andaman Sea, somewhere in the Bay of Bengal and off the coast of Rangoon. They were last seen in the early hours of the morning of the 7th of May 1935. Some blamed his death on crashing into rocky peaks and others blame it on a fault in the plane.

9. What happened to him when he died? Some fishermen found the starboard undercarriage leg in the May of 1936, but no other parts of the plane nor the bodies of Smithy or Tommy have ever been found.

10. Bibliography http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kingsford-smith-sir-charles-edward-6964Retrieved 6th May 2013 http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/k-smith.html Retrieved 7th May 2013 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/58746016 Retrieved 7th May 2013 http://www.warandidentity.com.au Retrieved 7th May 2013

11. Credits Originally by: Lucy - Question 3 and photos Montana- Question 2 Takala- Question 1 EDITED COPY (THIS ONE)- By Lucy Field