| Accession Number | P12424.036 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Jackson, John Francis |
| Date made | June 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
"Pointing the bone. One of our aerodrome defence blokes with a bone tied on his gun." Pointing ...
Description
"Pointing the bone. One of our aerodrome defence blokes with a bone tied on his gun." Pointing the bone (or pourri-pourri) was an Aboriginal belief, adopted by this soldier to perhaps assist the effectiveness of his anti-aircraft machine gun against the enemy.
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 in action 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.