Mitchell Smith was on born May 2, 1921, the son of Roy Smith (born in Russia) and Bessie (nee Dillon, born in England) Smith, of 512 Wellington Street, later 322 Durand Street, Sarnia. Mitchell was single when he enlisted, on December 26, 1940, residing at 2006 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, graduating as a sergeant-wireless air gunner in October of 1941. By the end of October 1941, he had left for an Eastern air command post. He would become a member of RCAF #432 Leaside Squadron “Saevitir Ad Lucem” (Ferociously towards the light), attaining the rank of Pilot Officer-Bomb Aimer.
On August 13, 1943, Pilot Officer-Bomb Aimer Mitchell Smith was part of a crew aboard Wellington aircraft HE348 that failed to return from night operations. Perishing with Pilot Officer Mitchell Smith were Pilot Officer S. Noble; FS. K.R. Bourne; and Sgt.s J.W. Neal (RAF), and D. Ruston (RAF). Mitchell Smith would later be officially listed as, Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas. Twenty-one year old Mitchell Smith has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 178.
Mitchell Smith and thirteen other local men had their names engraved on a plaque honouring fourteen Jewish members of the armed services from Sarnia. The plaque was unveiled in the Ahavas Isaac Synagogue, Davis Street, Sarnia on March 30, 1945. The men, all from Sarnia, honoured on the plaque were M. Berger, S. Bernard, R. Heller, I. Haber, M. Kirk, Dr. I. Mann, A. Rosen, G. Shabsove, M. Skosov, Mitchell Smith, Murray Smith, L. Swartz, I.B. Zierler, Isaac Zierler. Three of the men–Mitchell Smith, Max Berger and Isaac Buck Zierler–made the supreme sacrifice. Mitchell Smith is also honoured in the memorial book “Canadian Jews in World War II”.
SOURCES: A, B, C, D, E, F, L, M, N, 2C, 2D