Patricia Jean Adam-Smith, AO, OBE (31 May 1924 – 20 September 2001) was an Australian author, historian and servicewoman.
She was a prolific writer on a range of subjects covering history, folklore and the preservation of national traditions,[1] and wrote a two-part autobiography.
Born out of wedlock, Patricia Jean Smith was adopted by railway workers, her mother a Caretaker and her father a Ganger.
She enlisted as a nursing Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the Second World War, serving from 17 March 1943 to 14 July 1944.
While her main study of and work in oral history was carried out in Australia, Ireland, England and the United States, Adam-Smith's research took her to over 60 countries.