AUSTRALIAN AIR ACE CRASHES INTO SEA

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 75, 30 March 1943, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN AIR ACE CRASHES INTO SEA

BELIEVED KILLED Keith Truscott Lost When Practice-Fighting N.Z. Press Association.—Copyright Rec. 11.30 MELBOURNE, this day. Squadron-Leader Keith Truscott, D.F.C. and bar, one of the war's most famous fighter pilots, has been reported missing, believed killed. His Kittyhawk plane crashed into the sea off the Australian coast on Sunday and no trace of it has been found. It is understood that he was making feint attacks* on the tail of another of our aircraft when the accident occurred. Feint attacks are customary among fighter pilots, whq, test their skill whenever the opportunity occurs.

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Squadron-Leader K. Truscott

Squadron-Leader Truscott was 26 years of age and had 15 German aircraft to his credit when he returned to Australia from England some months ago. In England he had commanded the First Australian Spitfire Squadron. Only last week he was mentioned in dispatches for gallantry in operations in New Guinea.

Close Friend of Paddy Finucane

He was the closest friend of the war's greatest fighter ace, the late Wing-Commander "Paddy" Finucane, R.A.F. The latter was killed last July when his plane crashed in the English Channel. On SquadronLeader Truscott's return to Australia shortly before Wing-Commander Finucane was killed, a Melbourne sportsman, Mr. John Wren, gave £1000 to be shared between the two men. Squadron-Leader Truscott was a brilliant Australian Rules footballer and before the. .war.was. the idol of Melbourne crowds. He was engaged to a 22-year-old Welsh girl, Miss Margaret Rees, who was to leave soon for Australia.