A FORMER Spitfire pilot and senior librarian from York has died aged 87.

York-born Maurice Smith joined York City Library Service in 1940 on leaving Nunthorpe Grammar School, but then spent four years in the RAF, flying Spitfires and Mustangs.

He was shot down over Yugoslavia, but managed to escape to Italy and rejoin his unit, 249 Squadron.

He later rejoined the library service, becoming assistant reference librarian at York’s Central Library in 1952, and was then promoted in 1962 to reference librarian, taking charge of 40,000 reference books.

He became divisional organiser, information services, following local government reorganisation in 1974, and spoke to The Press in 1983 about the 45,000 requests he received each year, which were wide-ranging and sometimes obscure.

He said it had taken two hours to find the “subject classes for cost escalation in tendering, calculated on the Baxter Formula”, but said one question which had remained unanswered concerned the “volumetric expansion of mango juice”.

Mr Smith retired in 1986, but continued his work as a governor at St Lawrence’s School and was heavily involved in St Lawrence’s Church.

He was also closely involved in the setting up of the University of York in the 1960s, and over the decades helped thousands of students with their research.

In 1982 he received the university’s first honorary master’s degree, in recognition of his work.

A close friend, Ron Willis, said Mr Smith and his wife, Mary, had left York several years ago to live in Suffolk, where he had died after suffering from motor neurone disease.

He leaves his widow and two daughters, Rosamund and Avril, and also five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

His funeral takes place at noon on Friday at All Saints’ Church, in Hopton, Suffolk, with mourners requested by Mr Smith not to wear black and donations in lieu of flowers requested for the Motor Neurone Disease Society.