Adrian Goldsmith Adrian Philip " Tim " Goldsmith DFC , DFM ( 25 April 1921 – 25 March 1961 ) was an Australian flying ace of the Second World War . Officially credited with shooting down 16¼ enemy aircraft while serving with the Royal Australian Air Force , Goldsmith scored 12¼ of his victories during the Siege of Malta . His final four victories were achieved against Japan ese aircraft while conducting operations over the South West Pacific . Early life . Goldsmith was born in the Sydney suburb of Waverley , New South Wales , on 25 April 1921 to Sidney Goldsmith , a timber merchant , and his English wife Philippa Mary ( née Scott - Coward ) . Initially educated at Newington College , Goldsmith later attended Gosford High School following his family ' s move to Avoca Beach during the Great Depression . In 1937 , aged 16 , Goldsmith gained employment with the New South Wales Department of Works and Local Government as a clerk . Second World War . On 16 September 1940 , Goldsmith enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force for service during the Second World War . Accepted for pilot training , he graduated from his course and was posted to England in June 1941 with the rank of sergeant . During this time , he was briefly posted to No . 134 Squadron RAF and No . 242 Squadron RAF . On 10 December 1941 , Goldsmith married Dorothea Rosemary Britton in a ceremony at Tuckingmill , Cornwall . In February 1942 , Goldsmith was posted to No . 126 Squadron RAF on Malta during a critical period in the Siege . Flying Hawker Hurricane s and Supermarine Spitfire s during this time , Goldsmith managed to shoot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and damage another during an aerial engagement on 21 April ; his own plane was damaged by a cannon shell fired by the third of four Bf 109s involved , partially jamming his ailerons . Within the first fortnight in May , Goldsmith had shot down a further six German and Italian aircraft and was subsequently recommended for the Distinguished Flying Medal . The announcement and accompanying citation for the award was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " on 5 June 1942 , reading : Commissioned as a pilot officer on 15 May , Goldsmith conducted a sortie against an Axis shipping convoy approximately from his base on 15 June . During the engagement , Goldsmith attacked a large formation of aircraft and was confirmed as shooting down two aircraft — a CANT Z . 506 and a Fiat BR . 20 — with a probable third ( a Macchi C . 200 ) , within a space of ten minutes . For his efforts during this action , Goldsmith was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . The notification and citation for the award was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " on 7 July 1942 , reading : By the end of his tour in July 1942 , Goldsmith had amassed a tally of 12¼ aircraft shot down . Returning to England , he served as a flying instructor before proceeding home to Australia . In January 1943 , Goldsmith was posted as a flight commander to No . 452 Squadron RAAF , which was operating out of Batchelor , Northern Territory , in the defence of Darwin from Japanese air raids . The unit later relocated to Strauss , near Darwin , in February . On 2 May , Goldsmith was shot down and forced to bail out of his aircraft into the sea . After twenty - four hours in an inflatable dinghy , he was discovered and rescued . Goldsmith was promoted to acting flight lieutenant in September 1943 , by which time he had credited with shooting down four Japanese aircraft in aerial engagements . During 1943 , Goldsmith ' s wife was reported as missing and presumed killed while on a voyage to Australia . In April 1944 , he was posted to Mildura , Victoria , as a flying instructor . On 21 October 1944 , Goldsmith attended an investiture ceremony at Government House , Sydney , where he was decorated with his Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Flying Medal by the Governor of New South Wales . Two days later , he married Doris May McGrath , an Army nurse , at St Mary ' s Catholic Church , Concord , New South Wales . Promoted to acting squadron leader , Goldsmith was discharged from the Air Force on 31 May 1945 due to medical reasons . By this time , he had been credited with an official tally of 16 aircraft shot down as well as a quarter shared victory , and a further three probables . Later life . Re - settling in Burwood , New South Wales , Goldsmith gained employment as a salesman . In 1946 , he was employed by Commonwealth Oil Refineries Ltd and travelled around New South Wales with his work . He was later made State marketing - manager for the company , and returned to Sydney . On 25 March 1961 , Goldsmith died of peritonitis at the Sydney Sanitarium and Hospital following an operation for ileo - caecal volvulus . Survived by his wife and son , a second son was born in October 1961 . Goldsmith was cremated and his ashes were later scattered over the Timor Sea .