Ian Smith has left us.

Ian Smith RIP

Another WWII RAF vetran passes. Like the others, he made a valuable and valued contribution in preserving our ‘safe’ society and way of life, almost paying the ultimite price in the process.

I for one would like to express my gratitude for his contributions whilst in RAF uniform, and pass on my condolences to his family and friends at their loss.

camlobe

I never read Stormbirds post so i won’t comment on that but i agree with Moggy on we should be able to discuss the aviation side of someone on an aviation forum without having to dig up political beliefs.
Aviation for aviation, i don’t trust ANY politician anyway .If i want to read about his political life , rights and wrongs i will elsewhere.
If it had’nt been for this thread i would’nt have learnt about that part of his life.
Lets keep it aviation and friendly xxxxxx:)

Agree with AM.
Please don’t let the forum sink to that level….

Sorry blokes I’m with Moggy on this one. Stormbird’s first reply was outrageous and offensive. I like the guy, but he must have been out of his tree to have written that venomous post.

Stormy..

A true Blue aussie in the truest sense.There is a lot of feeling here in Australia now on what is an Aussie these days.Stormy is one of the old “Ocker’ crowd that gives this country it,s character.Speaks his mind easily,likes to give a bit of a dig or stick to the establishment,loves his sport and the (ability to thrash the Poms at everything) and is generally a happy salt.With multiculturism going the way it is here they look at that as being “old” or past but blokes like Stormy are what has made this country great.I,m sticking by him as thats what mates do..We did it at Milne,at the Somme,at Crete,Greece and everywhere else a digger has laid down his life..
Oopps I really derailed this thread..Ian Smith will probably be known for his “political” activities but we should remember him for his sacrifices as a veteran and what he achieved to make it through the war.Not every hero in war was known.RIP.

RIP Ian Smith, but lets not have to do this to Stormbird.
If anyone can be bothered to look at his website, he is a poorly chap, ok, his postings are irrational at times and drive us mad with those bloody smilies, do we humour this, I don’t know, but I bet his references to Steve are sincere, don’t knock it, lets leave it down to Moggy shall we.
I feel for the bloke.

I find it difficult to understand the problem.

If you want to talk about his flying career – do it here in ‘Historic’ as it is then ‘on topic’

If you want to discuss his many failings as a politician do it on ‘General Discussion’

I am not editing out the bits I don’t like, I am mostly in agreement with the sentiments I have edited. But me being in agreement doesn’t make them any more on topic here.

As many of the posts above are non-aviation related… why haven’t they been moved to GD.

Just for your info – the ‘split thread’ facility on the board which I would use to move the non-aviation posts to GD is down, which means I would have to do it manually. I thought it simpler just to ask contributors to stay on aviation here and post all the other stuff on GD.

It didn’t seem that difficult a thing to understand.

Moggy
Moderator

As many of the posts above are non-aviation related… why haven’t they been moved to GD. You have all the power Moggy… I just don’t feel you are using it appropriately. You can’t only bring up the one aspect of this mans life, without considering the far larger more sinister aspects of his career. Just editing out the bits you don’t like seems hardly commensurate with your responsibilities. You started this thread, perhaps you should end it now, as it is truly offensive to a lot of people.

Richard

Just editing out the bits you don’t like seems hardly commensurate with your responsibilities

He has a very valid point Moggie, one you would do well to consider.

it seems a very strange stance to take (well to me anyway!) that you are only allowed to discuss one aspect of a mans life and no other…..all at the insistence of one moderator!

there have been many threads on here discussing past veterans lives, both favourable and unfavourable, why should this one be any different?

then to say that posts should be only aviation related, and yet leave quite a few posts that clearly aren’t seems to be quite strange!

it all seems like one moderators personal censorship to me!

As many of the posts above are non-aviation related… why haven’t they been moved to GD. You have all the power Moggy… I just don’t feel you are using it appropriately. You can’t only bring up the one aspect of this mans life, without considering the far larger more sinister aspects of his career. Just editing out the bits you don’t like seems hardly commensurate with your responsibilities. You started this thread, perhaps you should end it now, as it is truly offensive to a lot of people.

Richard

This thread is to mark the passing of a pilot who fought against the fascist axis in WW2.

Those who wish to discuss his later failings can feel free to do so on GD.

Moggy
Moderator

RMA. What part of this are you having difficulty understanding?

GD remains open for your input on non-aviation topics.

Moggy
Moderator

As he wasn’t in the SAAF, this doesn’t apply, but… I think unique in the Commonwealth / Empire air forces the (non-Royal) SAAF used army ranks, including Captain, in W.W.II to the occasional confusion of their other Commonwealth comrades.

They still do JDK -as I found out the hard way after making inter-service jokes about the SAAF to an out-of-uniform guy introduced as “General ” here some years back.

And this from the Times. Not sure about ‘Captain’ Smith :rolleyes:

As he wasn’t in the SAAF, this doesn’t apply, but… I think unique in the Commonwealth / Empire air forces the (non-Royal) SAAF used army ranks, including Captain, in W.W.II to the occasional confusion of their other Commonwealth comrades.

As I said earlier, I spoke to Ian Smith about 3 months ago. He was living in a home in St James, which is a seaside town next to Muizenberg on the outskirts of Cape Town. I had never met him before, but my father had met him a few times as he has friends out that way.

I’m sad to say that I did not enquire about his war service from him.

Mugabe threatened to have him charged with genocide? Very much pot calling kettle methinks. Why is it the guilty often accuse others of the very offences they are guilty of? Trying to divert suspicion away from themselves, I guess.

I stand corrected on both counts – thanks for the info.

Moggy

Smith remained an MP until 1988. When he retired, he and his wife, who died in 1994, were allowed to live on in Zimbabwe, unharmed and unharassed.

That part is not correct, Mugabe threatened to have Ian Smith prosecuted for genocide amongst other things.

Since his ill health began, Ian Smith lived with his widowed stepdaughter Jean in Cape Town, South Africa, until he died on 20 November 2007.

Not correct

OK, partially correct would be better, as he did die in South Africa at a residential home according to the BBC.

quote:-
The cause of his death is unknown but he had been ill for some time at a residential home in South Africa.

No, South Africa, which is where he had lived since Mugabe took control of Rhodesia.

Not correct

Smith remained an MP until 1988. When he retired, he and his wife, who died in 1994, were allowed to live on in Zimbabwe, unharmed and unharassed.

Moggy