John Francis Jackson DFC (1908 - 1942)

Biography

John Francis Jackson was born on 23rd February 1908 in New Farm, Queensland, Australia. He was the eldest son of William Jackson, a merchant, and Edith Grayson. He attended Brisbane Grammar School and Scots College, Warwick, before touring Europe with the Young Australia League.

By 1927 he was working his property, Macwood, 97 kilometres (60 miles) from St George, in south western Queensland. In 1933 he became the proprietor and manager of Western Queensland Motor Engineering Works, St George, and local representative of the New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd. He learned to fly, bought a Klemm Swallow monoplane and in 1936 competed in the South Australian Centenary air-race from Brisbane to Adelaide. That year he joined the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve.

In Christ Church, North Adelaide, on 17th February 1938 John married with Anglican rites Elizabeth Helen Thompson. The couple had a son and a daughter.

On 2nd October 1939, upon the declaration of the Second World War, John was commissioned in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) upon his graduation from Point Cook, Victoria. ^[1] He embarked for the Middle East in October 1940, whereupon he served with No.3 Squadron in Libya, Syria and Cyprus, flew 129 sorties and spent 206 hours in the air in Gladiators, Hurricanes and Tomahawks. Among his victories, he was credited with destroying three Junkers 87 dive-bombers; he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) ^[2] and Mentioned in Despatches, ^[3] equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry.

Promoted to Squadron Leader he was brought home to Australia and appointed commanding officer of No.75 Squadron (flying P-40 Kittyhawks), leading the squadron during the defence of Port Moresby in April 1942. During a solo reconnaissance on 10th April he was shot down into the sea off Lae and swam ashore. Two New Guineans helped him to avoid the Japanese and guided him on a gruelling, eight-day trek through the jungle to Bulolo. He was then carried to Wau whence he was flown to Port Moresby on 23rd April. John was killed in action on the final day of the battle, 28th April 1942. John Francis Jackson's name is located at panel 104 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. ^[4] He was succeeded as commanding officer of No.75 Squadron by his brother, Les.

John's DFC was presented to his widow, then residing at Killowen, St George, on 12th September 1944 at Government House, Brisbane by the Governor of Queensland, Lieutenant Colonel Sir Leslie Orme Wilson. ^[5]

Jackson's International Airport, Port Moresby, the largest and busiest airport in Papua New Guinea, commemorates John's memory.

Sources

1. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: 493 Squadron Leader John Francis Jackson; accessed 12 Feb 2023
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards: DFC; accessed 12 Feb 2023
3. ↑ https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1547799 Australian War Memorial honours and awards: Mention in Despatches; accessed 12 Feb 2023]
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial roll of honour: 493 Squadron Leader John Francis Jackson; accessed 12 Feb 2023
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards (recommendation): DFC; accessed 12 Feb 2023

See also

• David Wilson, 'Jackson, Leslie Douglas (1917–1980)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1996; accessed online 12 Feb 2023.