| Accession Number | P00396.002 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
RAAF Public Relations |
| Date made | 1940-1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of 400213 Squadron Leader Keith 'Bluey' William Truscott DFC and bar, No. 452 Squadron
Description
Informal portrait of 400213 Squadron Leader Keith 'Bluey' Willam Truscott DFC and bar. Playing with Melbourne's premiership winning team in 1939, Squadron Leader Truscott was already famous as a footballer at the outbreak of war. He enlisted in the RAAF on 21 July 1940 amidst considerable publicity and became one of Australia's best-known flying aces of the Second World War. Joining the Empire Air Training Scheme in Canada, he went on to fly Spitfire aircraft with No 452 Squadron in Europe, being awarded a DFC and bar, before transferring to No 76 Squadron and flying Kittyhawks over Milne Bay, Papua. Returning to Australia, Truscott was killed in a training flight on 28 March 1943. He remains one of the most well-known pilots in the RAAF.