Taken much later…In my own humble opinion.
Official caption from the rear of the photo:
“Neg No. OCR-11890 — U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier Wasp ferries British aircraft to Malta. First photographs showing the carrier en route to the British Mediterranean Stronghold.”
“(a) Comdr. Dickey, Executive Officer, Flight Lieut. Sly, RAF, and Lieut Sims, RAF, Engineer Officer interview Pilot Officer S.A. Smith, RAF, and examine his Spitfire after he made a successful landing aboard the USS Wasp. Pilot Smith, shortly after his take-off, developed engine trouble and signaled he was returning for a landing. Although the Spitfire has no arresting gear, Pilot Smith managed to land the high speed fighter on the deck of the carrier without mishap—a remarkable feat of flying and coordination with the ship.”
[According to DANFS entry for Wasp, Smith accidentally released his drop tank and lacked the range to make it to Malta.]
NARA San Francisco. (Photo is dated 3 July 1942, which is obviously wrong, sinceWasp ferried aircraft to Malta in April and May, and was already in the Pacific by July. This may be the date the photo was developed, or reprinted, or whatever).
Corrections: Wendy Noble, sister of P/O Smith, notes:
(1) “The correct initials for my brother areJ.A. (for Jerrold Alpine) whereas you wrote of him as Pilot Officer S.A. Smith.” [“S.A.” is actually what is written on the back of the photo.]
(2) “You note that Jerry ‘accidentally released his drop tank.’ [This is what DANFS states.] Actually the problem was that his auxiliary tank failed to draw.”
(3) “The question of the date of the landing. According to Jerry’s logbook, the date of this event was May 9, 1942.”
Additionally, Wendy explains:
“My name is Wendy Noble and Jerry was my eldest brother. He and his younger brother Rod (Sq/L Roderick Illingworth Alpine Smith, DFC & Bar) briefly flew as a pair in Malta, having landed there at different times, until Jerry went missing on August 10, 1942. Rod ended the war an Ace with a score of 13 1/5 shot down, the latter being the sharing of the first Commonwealth downing of an ME 262 German jet fighter. Jerry was born on March 26, 1921, and Rod on March 11, 1922 so they were just short of a year apart in age.”
“Sources:”
“1. My source for the [second] point is my brother Rod whom I noticed crossed out a reference in a book he owned, written by another author, which erroneously reported that Jerry’s auxiliary tank had ‘fallen off.’ Rod had penned in ‘Failed to draw.’ It’s a mistake many writers make. After the war Rod graduated from mechanical engineering and then became a lawyer, meticulous about accuracy!”
“2. I have both Rod’s and Jerry’s log books and was able to easily nail down the date of the landing which was under question beside your photo.”
“I have a variety (about 5) of official photos taken that day, and photos and negatives of the landing at different stages, including one of signalman David McCampbell giving his hat to Jerry when he said ‘My hat’s off to you’ by way of congratulating him on the landing. I also have letters from the officers written to my parents. You may know that Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was aboard the Wasp that day and wrote several pages about the landing in his memoirs.”
“About 20 years ago Rod went to the States, bearing photos of the landing day, and met with the remarkable David McCampbell who autographed them. Needless to say, I treasure those photographs.”
“Rod’s unfinished memoirs were taken on by British historian and Aviation writer, Christopher Shores, for Grub Street Publishing, London. Chris added to Rod’s considerable body of work where needed, and it was published under the title, The Spitfire Smiths: A Unique Story of Brothers in Arms.”
(Thanks to Wendy Noble and Tracy White for the corrections.)
Pilote de Spitfire - Spitfire Pilot 