| Accession Number | P12424.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | New Guinea1: Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby |
| Date made | April 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Collection related to 493 Squadron Leader John Francis Jackson, DFC, RAAF.
Description
Informal portrait of 493 Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) John Francis Jackson, No. 75 Squadron RAAF, in Port Moresby after hiking from Busama to Lae, Papua New Guinea. During a solo reconnaissance mission on 10 April 1942, Sqn Ldr Jackson was shot down by a Japanese Mitsubishi Zero in the sea near Lae. Assisted by native villagers, he hiked for days through the jungle from Busama to the Australian base at Wau, where he was flown to Port Moresby. He is wearing a Mae West life jacket and nursing a bandaged finger, the tip of which was injured when grazed by a Japanese bullet.
This image is from the collection of 493 Squadron Leader John Francis Jackson, DFC, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A distinguished fighter pilot, Sqn Ldr Jackson served with No. 23 Squadron in Australia (1939), No. 3 Squadron in the Middle East (1940-1941), and No. 75 Squadron in Papua New Guinea (1942). He was killed on operations on 28 April 1942 during a flying battle over Papua New Guinea and is buried in Bomana War Cemetery. Jackson International Airport, Port Moresby, commemorates him.