Lawson Smith was born in Sheffield 0n 25 March 1965. He graduated as a mechanical engineer at North Staffordshire Polytechnic in 1988 and spent the early part of his career in industry before joining the RAF in 1992. After Initial Officer Training at RAFC Cranwell, and holding posts at Neatishead and Leeming, he completed Engineer Officer Training and took up his first productive post as JEngO 72 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, carrying out 1st line maintenance of Wessex HC Mk2 aircraft in support of counter-terrorism operations in Northern Ireland.
In 1997 he moved to RAF Coningsby where he commanded Armament Engineering Flight with responsibilities for armament aspects of Tornado F3 aircraft, weapons storage and bomb disposal activities at the coastal air to ground training ranges. From Coningsby he was posted to the Falkland Islands Engineering Unit at Mount Pleasant for 7 months as OC Armament Engineering Flight, which included responsibility for EOD clearance of aircraft crash sites left over from the Falklands conflict.
Back in the UK in 1999, Smith assumed command of Weapons Training Flight at No1 School of Technical Training, RAF Cosford where he had responsibility for armament and survival equipment trade training. From Cosford he was posted to the Defence Logistics Organisation at RAF Wyton in November 2000 where he took up the post of Equipment Support 3a, as structural engineering authority for the Dominie aircraft. Smith was promoted to Squadron Leader in August 2001 and posted to Logistic Policy and Planning at HQ Strike Command, in the post of Staff Officer 2 Logistic Development.
In September 2003 Smith joined the UN Mission in Sierra Leone for a 6-month tour as a Military Observer, working in a multi-national team in peace support operations. Not typical of tours for engineering officers, this included monitoring and negotiation with local dignitaries, aid organisations and rebel factions, the latter often involved in illegal diamond mining and smuggling. After a few weeks of leave, essential for the suntan to fade, and a course at the Joint Defence Staff College at Shrivenham, he assumed the role of Officer Commanding 5001 Squadron on 7 Jun 2004.
As for shooting, he had air rifles as a boy but had no full bore experience until joining the RAF in 1992. While at Aldergrove he was introduced to competition shooting, and in 1994 entered the RAF Skill at Arms Meeting for the first time. Despite letting 3 rounds off on auto at his first sighter, he came 18th overall. Still at Aldergrove in 1995, he went back to Bisley and, careful with the selector lever, came 4th after a tie-break for third. In 1996, from RAF Coningsby this time, he entered RAFSAM 96 and won both the Queen's Medal, by a comfortable margin, and the RAF Service Pistol Championship, as well as a variety of NRA pistol matches. He was unavailable to enter RAFSAM in 1997 but was invited to shoot for the RAF in the United Services inter-services match at Bisley, with a just-zeroed weapon and no training that year, and put in the highest team score. That year, for the first time in 23 years, the RAF team beat the British Army. Also in 1997, in Arkansas, the team went on to win the Commander in Chief's international service rifle match at the USNG AFSAM with Smith again putting in the winning team's highest score.
In 1998, he returned to Bisley to enter the Queen's Medal competition and won by a margin of over 50 points. He entered the competition in 2001, 2 and 3 but was not placed higher than second - his excuses being no training and a weapon with a bad barrel! He did not visit a gallery range from 2003 until June 2005 when he entered RAFSAM 2005 with a fresh rifle and won his third medal, again by a margin of more than fifty points. This medal was presented by HRH Prince Andrew.
Lawson is still in the RAF, commanding No 5001 Sqn, and may be in for years to come - who knows what the future holds? He keeps himself busy out of work through motorcycling, car and motorcycle renovation, various home workshop activities, keeping koi carp and looking after his mad dogs, a German Shepherd and a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
He has received the following awards: