Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Peter Glenn Truscott was born on the 2nd of January 1933 in Joslin, South Australia. The first of three children to Francis Glenfield Truscott, Managing Director of the Auto Wrecking Company in Hindley Street, Adelaide, and Gwendoline Jean Truscott nee Ware.

He attended East Adelaide Primary School from 1938-1944. Then Saint Peters College 1945-1948. At Saints, Peter played football and was involved with athletics. He also passed his Intermediate Certificate.

Peter learned to ride horses at an early age. They were a passion and he bred a couple of foals in a stable his father built next door to the family home.

On leaving school in 1949 Peter first worked at Goldsborough Mort as an office boy. They were known in the day as “Lickers”, due to the large number of postage stamps they had to lick.

Due to his interest in horses, Peter purchased a number of Equestrian Magazines. In 1950 he saw an advertisement for a strapper at the Saint Aubin’s Horse Stud in Scone, New South Wales. He applied here in Adelaide and was successful. The stud provided plane tickets and at sixteen Peter and his pushbike flew to Sydney and then on to Scone. While there he was involved with the stallion breeding program, track riding and worked as a strapper.
In 1951 he was back in Adelaide and working at the Brookside Stud Farm at Tranmere. The stud had no track and the strappers would exercise the horses through the surrounding public streets. He did think about becoming a jockey; however, his final weight and height were too great.

Having turned eighteen, Peter was eligible for National Service. Compulsory military training for young Australians was reintroduced in 1951 Eighteen-year-old men were required to undertake 176 days of military training as part of the National Service scheme. Knowing he did not wish to do his service in the Army, on the 2nd of April 1951 Peter joined the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. His National Service intake to the Navy was on the 29th of July 1951. Basic training was at HMAS Cerberus on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne. HMAS Cerberus is a Royal Australian Navy base that serves as the primary training establishment for RAN personnel. His Service Number was 1467NS, and he passed out as an Ordinary Seaman. Shipboard service was on HMAS Torrens, HMAS Fremantle and HMAS Condamine. Because of this service, Peter qualified for the Australian Defence Medal and the Australian National Service Medal. He finished his Naval Reserve service in 1956.

Peter met future wife Margaret Parham at a dance at The Masonic Hall, Burnside in September 1954.

They were married on the 21st of September 1956 at the Saint Peters College Chapel.

In 1957 Peter joined the Citizen Military Forces. He was attached to the 13th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, based at Keswick, South Australia. Promotions followed and he was a Captain before going to Vietnam.

In 1968 he volunteered to go to Vietnam as a member of the Citizen Military Forces Observers Group. These were selected Officers who joined with the regular army for service abroad. They were to gain experience on operations being carried out in Vietnam including Command Post Duties, Patrolling and Air Operations. Peter would then return to Australia to lecture Reserve Units on his experiences of the “real deal”. He was attached to the 161st New Zealand Artillery Battery and the 3rd Australian Battalion. He was flown into the Long Hai Mountains to witness the destruction being wrought by mines being laid by the Viet Cong. 3rd Battalion suffered severe casualties as a result of these mines. Peter was involved with Operation Pinnaroo (27th of February- 15th of April 1968). This was active service. Margaret Truscott recalled being very stressed while Peter was in the war zone.

CMF officers who visited South Vietnam were not deemed eligible for the Vietnam Medal, that was established on the 8th of June 1968. However, they were subsequently awarded the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal that was established on the 24th February 1993. This medal was established to recognise those who had served in Vietnam for relatively short periods, in support of Australian operations and who had not received any recognition for that service. These officers also became eligible for the Active Service Medal (Vietnam) that was approved in 1997. Peter was awarded both medals. He was retired from the Active List in 1975.

Peter was a Director with a very successful family business, Truscott Electronics in Adelaide. In 1976 he established his own business, Peter G Truscott Pty. Ltd. He ran this until retiring in 1993.

Peter was heavily involved with Rotary. He joined the Rotary Club of Blackwood in 1976 and went on to serve as Secretary and President. He then went to the new Rotary Club of Morphettville where he was the Inaugural President. For his service to Rotary Peter was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship.

For the next 20 years Peter and Wife Margaret travelled extensively.

Peter’s health began to decline at the start of 2023. He passed away on the 13th of July 2023 in North Plympton, at the age of 90. He was cremated and the ashes scattered.