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Keith “Bluey” Truscott - Pilot

Whispering_Jack
in Melbourne Demons

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The Shamrock Spitfire is a movie of interest now showing at Palace Cinemas as part of their British Film Festival. 

The film tells the real life story of Irishman Brendan Finucane who flew the elegant Supermarine Spitfire, a British single-seat fighter aircraft and led the 452 Australian Squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. 

The extra lure of the film for me is the fact that one of the squadron members and a character in the movie was Keith 'Bluey' Truscott, after who the award for the Melbourne Football Club’s best and fairest player is named.

Truscott was one of Australia's best-known flying aces of the War. Before that however, he played Australian Rules for Melbourne's premiership team in 1939. 

He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940, trained in Canada and joined No. 452 Squadron as a foundation member on 5 May, 1941. Flying a Spitfire, he destroyed at least 11 German aircraft, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was made a flight commander. In January 1942 he was made acting squadron leader before being posted back to Australia in March. Late that month he was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. At that point he was the most well-known pilot in the RAAF.

In Australia, Truscott joined No. 76 Squadron in Bankstown which was redeployed to Papua in July 1942. Before leaving Australia, Truscott played a last game for the Melbourne football club; lacking match fitness, he was unable to keep up with the play and found himself exhausted. He did manage to kick a goal but, after the game said that his career was over. He said the game was, "too dangerous." 

He also saw further action against the Japanese in Darwin, lifting his tally of hits to sixteen before he lost his life in a training crash over the Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia on 28 March, 1943.

 

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    Great story W_J, he also lead 76 Sqd at Milne Bay after his Sqd Leader ( Turnbull) was killed whilst straffing the enemy, a combined force of Aussies and US troops stopped a Japanese Invasion force in their tracks, inflicting so many casualties that the Japanese were force to evacuate their marines, first time they were stopped during WW2 and 76 Sqd played a huge role in the victory. I was there in 2016 and stood on the runway where Bluey flew from. What a man.💕

    Edited by DeeZone

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