LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Eric Leonard TRUSCOTT
Service No: 406965
Born: Toodyay WA, 20 December 1912
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 May 1941
Unit: No. 18 Squadron (RAF), Marcianise, Italy
Died: Air Operations (No. 18 Squadron Boston aircraft BZ2375), Italy, 16 March 1944, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Caserta War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Clarence and May Emily Truscott; husband of Pauline Mary Truscott, of Subiaco, Western Australia. Accountant and Secretary.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Boston BZ2375 took off from Marcianise airfield, Italy, at 2045 hours on 16 March 1944 and crashed soon after take off about 1.5 miles north of the airfield. It passed through two lots of trees which line the roadway Naples-Caserta (Highway 87), and crashed in a field to the west of the road. The Aerodrome Control pilot who watched the aircraft take off stated that the engine noise faded and then came back on again full power. Other could not confirm this. The position of the crash indicates that the aircraft turned to port shortly after take off and not having sufficient height hit the trees lining Highway 87. All four crew members were killed.
The crew members of BZ2375 were:
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey William Carter (132305) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Wilfred Gittins (1230234) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant John Peter Hutcheson (1348894) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Eric Leonard Truscott (406965) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/40/161