Benjamin Roxburgh - Smith Benjamin Roxburgh - Smith DFC & Bar ( 1884 – 1952 ) was a World War I fighter ace credited with 22 victories . After the war , he pioneered aviation in southern Africa . He also served in World War II . Early life and service . Roxburgh - Smith was born in Lee , London on 10 April 1884 . By the time World War I broke out he was working as a bank teller in Bromley , then still in Surrey . Though a married man with two children , and old enough to be nicknamed " Dad " , he initially joined up as a private in the Inns of Court Regiment , which was then functioning as an officer cadet unit . Private Roxburgh - Smith was appointed a Temporary Second Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps on 12 August 1916 . It was at about this time he passed through pilot training and was forwarded to No . 60 Squadron RAF . In 1917 , he was injured in the crash of a Nieuport Scout . Upon his return to service , he was assigned to flight instruction duty . Combat duty . He was posted to combat duty with No . 74 Squadron RAF to fly RAF SE . 5a s in early 1918 . He flew in Mick Mannock ' s A Flight . In his time , he was also appointed a Flight Commander . He destroyed his first enemy Albatros D . V on 12 April 1918 , in conjunction with Mannock and three other pilots . By May 26 , he was an ace , destroying his fifth consecutive enemy fighter plane . After scoring his eighth victory on 19 July , he was shot down , suffering minor injuries in the process . He rallied , and shot down four German planes in both August and September , and five in October . On 5 October , he shot a double , and on 14 October , he shot a triple , rounding out his score at 22 . His final count was 14 opposing fighters destroyed ( 2 shared with other pilots ) ; four fighters driven down out of control ; three two - seater reconnaissance planes destroyed ( one shared with George Hicks ) ; one recon plane driven down out of control . " Dad " Roxburgh - Smith was third ace out of seventeen in 74 Squadron to Mick Mannock and Taffy Jones . African aviation pioneer . Roxburgh - Smith emigrated to Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe ) in 1920 . He farmed for several years near the capital of Bulawayo . While he was farming , civil aviation sturggled to establish itself in the country . In September , 1926 , he sold the farm and returned to England . Once there , he brushed up on his flying skills and obtained a private pilot ' s license . Upon his return to Zimbabwe in June 1927 , he accepted a job flying as second pilot on an aerial survey for the Aircraft Operating Company . To garner the job , he qualified as the first South African commercial pilot at Roberts Heights , Pretoria . He was employed on the survey through February , 1928 . Once again , he moved to England , only to return to Zimbabwe in February 1929 . This time , he had the backing of Cobham / Blackburn Air Lines , which was dedicated to establishing civil aviation routes the length of Africa , from Cairo , Egypt to Cape Town , South Africa . With this backing , he was able to raise enough local financial aid to start the Rhodesian Aviation Syndicate , which was eventually absorbed into Imperial Airways . Roxburgh - Smith resigned from the new company in May 1931 , with the aim of working for Glen Kidston . The latter was independently wealthy , and wanted in on South African aviation . Kidston ' s death in an air crash on 5 May scotched that plan , so Roxburgh - Smith returned to England on 1 June . World War II service . Roxburgh - Smith returned to service in World War II , receiving an emergency appointment on 1 March 1940 as a Pilot Officer , at the advanced age of 55 . He was subsequently promoted to Flight Lieutenant on 20 September 1940 . Honours and awards . Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) Bar Benjamin Roxburgh - Smith was also awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre on 20 February 1919 .