Charles Arbuthnot Crombie (1914–1945)
Sq-Ldr. Charles Arbuthnot Crombie, DSO, DFC, of Warwick, Queensland, a famous RAAF ace, died of injuries on Sunday, two hours after his Beaufighter crashed at Williamstown, N.S.W. Sq-Ldr. Crombie had a brilliant reputation as an RAAF pilot in the United Kingdom, India, and Malta, with a score of 12 enemy aircraft shot down. Near Calcutta, Sq-Ldr. Crombie attacked four Japanese aircraft, destroying two before he and his observer were compelled to abandon their own machine, which was set on fire. He was awarded the DSO. As a Beaufighter pilot, he subsequently won the DFC in Malta for outstanding service in air operations.
Original publication
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- World War II service record, A9300, item Crombie C A (National Archives of Australia)
- announces his engagement to Betty Deane-Butcher, Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 3 August 1940, p 9
- is to be married today, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 September 1940, p 4
- wedding photo, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 September 1940, p 8
- report on the wedding, Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 24 September 1940, p 10
- shoots down two Japanese bombers, Army News (Darwin), 24 January 1943, p 4
- is awarded a DSO, Argus (Melbourne), 18 February 1943, p 12
- is awarded a DFC, Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 29 May 1943, p 3
- returns to Australia, Army News (Darwin), 1 November 1943, p 1
- interview, Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 1 November 1943, p 3
- was one of many air force officers who returned to Australia in the mid 1940s to instruct future pilots, Australian Women's Weekly, 21 April 1945, p 32
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Crombie, Charles Arbuthnot
- Crombie, Mervyn Cobbe (brother)
- Hart, Margaret Beatrice (aunt)
- Crombie, James (uncle)
- Hart, Percy Lloyd (uncle by marriage)
- Arbuthnot, Constance (grandmother)
- Crombie, Isabella Harriet (grandmother)
- Crombie, James (grandfather)
Citation details
'Crombie, Charles Arbuthnot (1914–1945)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/crombie-charles-arbuthnot-9866/text25730, accessed 22 November 2024.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
16 March,
1914
Brisbane,
Queensland,
Australia
Death
26 August,
1945
(aged 31)
Williamtown,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cause of Death
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.