Americans and Aborigines

Originally titled 'Australian Aborigines rescue shot down U.S. pilot'. Depicts the story associated with the rescue of 2nd Lieutenant Clarence T Johnson, 7th Squadron, 49th Fighter group, USA. On 15 June 1942, his plane was damaged in combat over the sea, and ran out of fuel at 20,000 feet, west of the Cox Peninsula, NT. Johnson abandoned his plane and parachuted to earth, landing south-west of Darwin in the Port Paterson area. He made a camp and tried to locate a river he had seen on his way down. He became lost from his camp and spent 5 days with water but no food. On the fifth day, a party headed by an Aboriginal tracker and 'two whites' coming up the river in a boat were attracted by the pilot yelling from a tree he had attempted to scale. Johnson was then rescued. As a reward, the Aboriginals were given flour and tobacco.