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THE family of Australian Spitfire pilot RAAF Sergeant William Smith will gather in France for a final farewell almost 70 years after he went missing over the English Channel.
Last seen engaged in a desperate dogfight with a large group of German fighters on May 9, 1942, 24-year-old Sgt Smith was listed as missing in action until October 2011.

Excavating what they believed was the wreckage of a downed Czech aircraft in Hardifort, northern France, a documentary film crew found the remains of Sgt Smith and his Spitfire.

Today, Sgt Smith, who was commended by his commanding officer for his "quiet, calm way of going about his duties" will be interred at a ceremony with full military honours at Cassel Cemetery in France.

Sgt Smith's surviving brother, Bert, is expected to travel from Australia to attend the ceremony and deliver a eulogy for his sibling, who was born at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and lived at Whittlesea in Victoria.


At the time of his disappearance, Sgt Smith was single and flying with an Australian squadron within the Royal Air Force. He enlisted in the RAAF in 1940, aged 22.