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Crombie, Charles Arbuthnot (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.

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'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 17 May 2022.

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