F/Lt. A. J. Smith was born in Hertfordshire on 8th November, 1920. He was the son of a European Boxing Champion. He was educated at Denmead School, Woking and King Edward VI’s Royal Grammar School, Guildford.

Arthur joined the RAF on a short service commission in June, 1939. Upon completing his training he went to 6 OTU, Sutton Bridge on 28th April,1940, and after converting to Hurricanes, he was posted to RAF Uxbridge on 15th May, 1940, for allocation to a squadron.
Arthur was posted to France, but while travelling to Arras the train in which he was travelling was bombed and his kit being destroyed. While awaiting alternative transport, he was informed Arras had been captured and was instructed to head for the coast. Setting off on foot, accompanied by another RAF pilot, and they were eventually picked up by a RAF vehicle and taken to Dunkirk.
Upon arriving at Dunkirk, it was arranged for them to board a steam ship at 23:00 hours bound for Portsmouth. Upon his return, Arthur went to 7 OTU, Harwarden, and after converting to Spitfires, he joined 74 Squadron at Coltishall on 30th September. 
He was posted away on 29th October, 1940. 

Arthur later joined the Ministry of Aircraft production as a test pilot flying all types of aircraft.  In 1942 he was about to undertake a RAF acceptance test on a Magister when the engine cut-out during take off.  The aircraft crashed into a wood on the edge of the airfield and Arthur was very badly injured. He was taken to the RAF Hospital at Ely in Cambridgeshire suffering from multiple fractures in both legs. 
He spent two years recovering in various hospitals, and upon being discharged his right leg was some 2 inches shorter than the left. He was then offered two choices, either to have a surgical boot which would end his flying career, or to have an operation to remove two inches from his left leg.  Wishing to fly again he opted for the operation. 

It later transpired the crash had been caused by water that was found in the petrol tank, which had occurred when the ground crew had negligently left the petrol cap off in the rain.

He managed to regain his flying status although permitted only to fly light aircraft, he was posted to instruct pupils on Tiger Moths. 

He was released from the RAF in 1946, as a Flight Lieutenant.

After his release from the RAF in 1946, and inspired by the Canadian osteopath who had helped him with his injuries, Arthur decided to study to become an osteopath himself. Unfortunately, this was considered fringe medicine at the time and the grant was not awarded so funded himself through four years of study.
After qualifying he set up his own practice and was approached by a local vet about applying the technique to injured horses. Having studying horse anatomy and even borrowing a horse skeleton, he went on to pioneer the osteopathic treatment for horses. He ran a very successful practice in Leicester for 50 years, which is now run by his son Neil.
During his career he was also chairman of the Osteopathic Association of Great Britain.