Captain Keith Knox Muspratt (22 December 1897 – 16 March 1918) was an English First World War

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

with eight victories to his name.

Biography

Early life and background

Keith Muspratt was born in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, Hampshire, the youngest of three sons of Charles Drummond Muspratt, MD (1859–1927), a surgeon, and his wife Mabel, the daughter of the Right Honourable Sir H. Knox. His older brother Captain Terence Petty Muspratt, MC, of the Worcestershire Regiment, was killed in action on 29 May 1918, aged 22, and is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, France. Muspratt was educated at Wychwood School in Bournemouth, and in 1911, aged 14, was sent to

Sherborne School Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...

, Dorset. There he was a school prefect, played football for his house, and was commissioned as a cadet officer in the Junior Division of the

Officers' Training Corps The University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), also known as the Officers' Training Corps (OTC), are British Army reserve units, under the command of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which recruit exclusively from universities and focus on ...

. Muspratt began to learn to fly while still at school, mainly during the holidays, attending the Ruffy-Baumann School of Flying at Hendon Aerodrome from mid-1915. He was awarded his Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate (No. 2789) on 27 April 1916.

Military service

Muspratt left school at the end of the 1916 summer term, and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in the Dorsetshire Regiment for service in the Royal Flying Corps on 8 August 1916. On 2 November he was appointed a flying officer. Muspratt first served as a flying instructor and in a testing squadron, before joining No. 56 Squadron in France in May 1917. During his service, he was credited with eight aerial victories (one captured, four destroyed, and three (two shared) 'out of control'). His first claim was flying Sopwith-built SE.5 No. A4861, against an Albatros D.III that he helped to force down out of control on 24 May 1917. He added a second out-of-control victory on the 28th while flying SE.5 No. A8913. On 17 July, he shared another out-of-control victory flying A8913. He switched to SE.5 No. 8944, and scored decisively three times in August. Then, on 23 September, he participated in one of the epic air battles of World War I when

Werner Voss Werner Voss (; 13 April 1897 – 23 September 1917) was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A Dyer (occupation), dyer's son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man while still in school. He began his milita ...

single-handedly fought patrols from No. 60 Squadron, and "B" Flight of No. 56 Squadron, included Muspratt. During the battle, Voss damaged two No. 60 squadron aircraft such that they withdrew from the fight. He also holed the radiator of Muspratt's aircraft and riddled the wings of another 56 Squadron aircraft. Voss finally succumbed to bullets from Arthur Rhys Davids. Muspratt was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

on 18 October 1917, and destroyed two more German aircraft by the end of the month. After his final victory, he was withdrawn from battle and assigned to Home Establishment to serve as a test pilot at

Martlesham Heath Martlesham Heath is a village in Suffolk, England. It is east of Ipswich, This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and this has developed in ...

. Muspratt was promoted to lieutenant on 8 February 1918, and appointed a

flight commander A flight commander is the leader of a constituent portion of an aerial squadron in aerial operations, often into combat. That constituent portion is known as a flight, and usually contains six or fewer aircraft, with three or four being a common ...

with the acting rank of captain on 11 February. He was killed in a flying accident in Suffolk on 16 March 1918, and is buried at Bournemouth Cemetery on Wimborne Road.

Awards and citation

;Military Cross :Temporary Second Lieutenant Keith Knox Muspratt, General List and Royal Flying Corps. ::"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He showed great initiative throughout the offensive operations, and seldom failed to become engaged with enemy aircraft when on offensive patrol. He destroyed several hostile machines. He took part in over forty offensive patrols, the majority of which entailed very severe fighting at low altitudes under heavy fire, and he set a magnificent example by his skill, gallantry, and initiative."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muspratt, Keith 1897 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Bournemouth People educated at Sherborne School Dorset Regiment officers Royal Flying Corps officers British World War I flying aces Recipients of the Military Cross English test pilots Burials in Dorset Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England British military personnel killed in World War I Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918 Victims of flight test accidents British Army personnel of World War I