Keith Muspratt
| Keith Knox Muspratt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 December 1897 Bournemouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 16 March 1918 (aged 20) Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, England |
| Buried at | Bournemouth Cemetery, Wimborne Road, Hampshire (50°44′00″N 1°52′25″W / 50.73333°N 1.87361°WCoordinates: 50°44′00″N 1°52′25″W / 50.73333°N 1.87361°W) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1916–1918 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
Dorsetshire Regiment No. 56 Squadron RFC |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards | Military Cross |
Captain Keith Knox Muspratt MC (22 December 1897 – 16 March 1918) was an English First World War flying ace in the Royal Flying Corps with eight victories to his name.
Keith Muspratt was born in Bournemouth, 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, 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. 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.
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.
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