Wilf Smith answers questions after the film at Centennial Place.
Last week, a different kind of movie was shown at the Fireside Lounge at Centennial Place. Residents, staff, friends and family were gathered to watch a 45-minute documentary outlining the experiences of Royal Canadian Air Force member Wilf Smith during his service as a bomber pilot in World War II.
Featuring original wartime footage from sources including BBC, archival photos carefully collected by Smith’s family, and books describing the Canadian wartime liberation of Holland, the film was produced by Smith’s grandson who resides in Vancouver.
Moving through specific missions chronologically, the film focussed on major events in which this self-effacing retired veteran participated. During his 18 months of war service, Smith flew 39 operational bombing missions over Germany as a wireless air-gunner in a Lancaster bomber. In addition to bombing missions, Smith also ran humanitarian efforts delivering food to a starving Holland as well as POW rescue flights at the end of the European conflict. He was originally selected as a wireless air gunner after volunteering in Toronto when screening demonstrating an acute hearing ability- he was able to identify individual code operators sending identical Morse code messages.
One of the most memorable missions discussed in the film involved delivering food supplies to Holland in the spring of 1945. The Canadian mission began on April 29th, and over the following nine days the pilots dropped over 11,000 tons of food supplies in and around The Hague in northern Holland, pre-empting the mission’s authorization which did not occur until May 1st.
One of the final poignant events described in the video was Smith’s retrieval of POW’s from Brussels after the war. Determined to secure as many victims as possible for the flight, he managed to squeeze 24 men inside his Lancaster plane. The soldiers were weak and emaciated, and one gentleman in particular was in such poor shape he had not expected to ever return home. At the moment the plane reached the Dover Cliffs, Smith lifted the soldier above the window of the cockpit, allowing him to see that he had, in fact, arrived back in Britain.
During much of the viewing of the film, the audience sat silently, taking it all in. It was clear that these stories resonated with them, perhaps bringing back their own memories of that difficult time. The silence was abruptly broken on several occasions with spontaneous outbursts of song, as the audience members joined in the soundtrack which included original recordings of war tunes from performers like Vera Lynn, Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby.
Amongst the memorabilia on display was the original photo of his young wife, Georgina, which he kept in his breast pocket during his service. He believes this photo was his good luck charm. Also on display were photos of Smith’s many service awards and plaques of commemorative events, and copies of the memoir entitled “Flying Officer Wilf Smith” compiled by Walter Noble, a friend and fellow model railroad enthusiast who recognized the uniqueness of Wilf’s story and wanted to preserve his memories. Noble was at Smith’s side during the afternoon, along with wife Georgina, and his son and daughter-in-law from Vancouver.
At the end of the European conflict, Smith signed up to serve in the Pacific and headed out on a one month leave, travelling around Britain to put in the time. Unbeknownst to him, during this period the situation in the Pacific changed abruptly and his training was cancelled. He returned to base at the original date, to find the rest of the Canadians scheduled for a return flight. He was forced to take the long way home, travelling on the ship the New Amsterdam, ironically the ship that had brought him to Britain in the first place.
The event reinforced the importance of recording memories of our family and friends while we still can. Wilf knows he is lucky in so many ways. His wife Georgina remains at his side today, just across the hall at Centennial Place, continuing to serve as his good luck charm. His family has done an extraordinary job of documenting his war time experience, with plans to tackle his favourite hobby, model trains, in a future film. Behind the ever-present smile of this affable, unassuming retired Air Force man, lies a commitment to serve. Amongst the plaques and medals he has acquired, there will be no more meaningful testament to his service than this film produced by members of his own family. KG
