Raymond Thorold-Smith

From July, No. 452 Squadron participated in the Circus offensive. This was a co-operative effort with Bomber Command which involved the use of small groups of bombers to attack targets in occupied Europe with the intention of drawing the Luftwaffe into engagement with fighters that would escort the bombers. Alongside the New Zealand No. 485 Squadron and the British No. 602 Squadron, it was part of the Kenley Wing.[7][8] On 9 August, Thorold-Smith, along with future flying ace Pilot Officer Keith Truscott, shared in the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, during a sortie escorting bombers attacking a power station at Béthune.[9][10] However, the Australian military aviation historian Anthony Cooper notes that there is a possibility that this may have been an instance of a misidentified Spitfire.[11] The sortie of 9 August was the first occasion on which Thorold-Smith flew as a section commander.[12] On 27 August, while escorting Bristol Blenheim light bombers to Saint-Omer, Thorold-Smith destroyed a Bf 109 to the west of Gravelines, the confirmation of which being provided by Flight Lieutenant Paddy Finucane, one of the squadron's flight commanders. Continuing with the sortie, Thorold-Smith destroyed a second Bf 109 as he and Finucane flew west of Dunkirk.[9][13]

Keith Truscott, Brendan Finucane, and Thorold-Smith, 1941

On 18 September, No. 452 Squadron was one of several units escorting Blenheims on a mission to bomb a power station near Rouen. The Luftwaffe mounted a vigorous response, sending up a large number of fighters and in the ensuing and wide-ranging dogfight, Thorold-Smith shot down a Bf 109 over Rouen while his wingman was shot down and killed.[9][14] Flying to the east of Hardelot on 13 October while acting as close escorts for some Blenheims targeting Arques, No. 452 Squadron was attacked by several Luftwaffe fighters. Out of seven German aircraft claimed to have been destroyed by pilots of the squadron, Thorold-Smith destroyed one Bf 109. He also damaged a second. On the return flight to England, he helped direct an Air Search Rescue vessel to the location of an Australian pilot who had baled out into the English Channel.[9][15][16]

As a result of an injury to Finucane, arising from an accident while drinking to celebrate the squadron's success of 18 September, Thorold-Smith was promoted to flight lieutenant and given command of one of No. 452 Squadron's flights.[17] On 6 November, several miles from Cap Gris-Nez, he shot down a Focke Wulf 190 fighter and a Bf 109.[9] By this time offensive operations were becoming fewer in number due to poor weather.[18] In recognition of his successes over the previous few months, in early December Thorold-Smith was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The published citation read:

This officer has participated in 50 operational sorties since July, 1941. He has proved himself to be a first class fighter pilot and a most determined and capable flight leader. He has destroyed 5 enemy, aircraft and shared in the destruction of another.

— London Gazette, No. 35364, 2 December 1941[19]

For the early part of 1942, No. 452 Squadron's sorties were mainly in the form of intruder missions involving only a few aircraft at a time to the continent to seek out targets of opportunity; Thorold-Smith made one such sortie on 3 January, shooting up an alcohol distillery at Colleville. The squadron also engaged in fighter sweeps, intended to draw out the Luftwaffe.[20] For the most part it saw little action until the end of February, when it commenced a brief period of intensive operations.[21]

Thorold-Smith after being invested with his Distinguished Flying Cross, 1942

On 17 March 1942, No. 452 Squadron was withdrawn from operations for a rest, shifting to Andreas on the Isle of Man. At this time Thorold-Smith was promoted to squadron leader and appointed commander of the unit, succeeding Truscott, who had been leading the unit since late the previous year.[22] The squadron was designated to return to Australia to join in the war effort there, following the entry of Japan into the Second World War.[23] It duly departed for Australia from the United Kingdom on 21 June.[24]

No. 452 Squadron's Spitfires were requisitioned for service to the Middle East while the unit was in transit. It arrived in Australia in August and its personnel then had a period of leave. It was not until September that the squadron and its personnel reformed at Richmond. Even then its pilots had to use trainer aircraft until it began to receive Spitfires in November. After further training with its Spitfires, the squadron arrived in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, in January 1943.[6][25] As part of No. 1 Fighter Wing, it was tasked with the defence of Darwin from Japanese air attacks, the city having been bombed several times in the preceding year.[2] The squadron saw little action initially but on 3 March, Thorold-Smith led a section of Spitfires in an unsuccessful pursuit of Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters that had strafed a nearby airfield.[26]

Mid-morning on 15 March, radar detected incoming Japanese aircraft heading for Darwin and No. 1 Fighter Wing was scrambled. Thorold-Smith, along with four other pilots, had participated in night-time flying practice the previous evening and spent the night at Darwin. He was already in the air returning to the squadron's airfield when he and the other four pilots were diverted to join up with the wing. In the absence of its regular commander, Wing Commander Clive Caldwell, Thorold-Smith was to be wing leader, the first time he had flown in this capacity. The wing was unable to assemble in good time, so he led his section in an interception course with the bombers, ordering the remaining Spitfires to catch and intercept the formation as soon as they could.[27] The Spitfires were lining up to engage the bombers when the escorting Zeroes, having a height advantage, attacked. Despite this, Thorold-Smith still sought out the bombers but was intercepted by several Zeroes and isolated from his wingmen.[28] He never returned from the resulting engagement. A Spitfire believed to be his was seen going into the sea off Darwin Harbour but despite a search, no trace of him was found and he was subsequently reported as being missing in action. In 1986, the wreckage of his Spitfire was found at the bottom of Darwin Harbour.[29][30]

Thorold-Smith, having no known grave, is commemorated on the Northern Territory Memorial to the Missing at the Adelaide River War Cemetery and on the Manly Cenotaph.[2][3] At the time of his death, he was credited with having shot down seven German aircraft, one of which being shared with another pilot, and one damaged.[9] A Spitfire flown by Thorold-Smith is presently on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.[2]