he oversaw the development of the Spitfire and its naval version the Seafire through numerous variants, including introduction of the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined series, all of which ensured that it remained a front-line fighter until superseded by jet fighters. The final development of the Spitfire was the Supermarine Spiteful and its naval version the Supermarine Seafang which retained a Spitfire-like fuselage, married to a new straight-tapered laminar flow wing, which gave Smith the opportunity to fit a wide-track inward-retracting undercarriage. Post-war Following his piston-engined aircraft Smith designed the first British naval jet fighter, the Supermarine Attacker, using the Spiteful wing, which saw service with the Royal Navy. Following the Attacker he oversaw the design of the Type 510 a swept-wing jet fighter which was developed into the Supermarine Swift. Following the Swift came the Supermarine 525 and Supermarine Scimitar. While he was mainly involved post-war in the development of fighter aircraft he was also as chief designer responsible for the Seagull, an amphibian flying boat. Smith was appointed as a special director of Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd in 1948 and served as chairman of the Technical Board and Technical Executive Committee of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors from 1948 to 1951. He also served as Chairman of the Aircraft Industries Standards Committee, and as a member of the Engineering Divisional Council of the British Standards Institute. He died of cancer at Chandler's Ford on 20 February 1956. Honours He was awarded a CBE in 1946 in recognition of his war efforts. In 1950 he was awarded the silver medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society. In 1956 the Royal Aeronautical Society posthumously awarded Smith the British Gold Medal for work of an outstanding nature in aeronautics. Notes References 1897 births 1956 deaths English aerospace engineers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Supermarine Spitfire Aircraft designers Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I