| John Francis Jackson | |
|---|---|
Flight Lieutenant Jackson in North Africa, 1941 |
|
| Nickname | "Old John" |
| Born | 23 February 1908 Brisbane, Queensland |
| Died | 28 April 1942 (aged 34) Port Moresby, New Guinea |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1936–1942 |
| Rank | Squadron Leader |
| Unit | No. 23 Squadron (1939–40) No. 3 Squadron (1940–41) |
| Commands held | No. 75 Squadron (1942) |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
| Relations | Les Jackson (brother) |
| Other work | Grazier, businessman |
John Francis Jackson DFC (23 February 1908 – 28 April 1942) was an Australian fighter ace of World War II, credited with eight aerial victories. Born in Brisbane, he was a grazier and businessman when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve in 1936. Called up for active service following the outbreak of war in September 1939, he served with No. 23 Squadron in Australia before posting to the Middle East in November 1940. As a fighter pilot with No. 3 Squadron he flew Gloster Gladiators, Hawker Hurricanes and P-40 Tomahawks during the North African and Syria-Lebanon campaigns. He was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions. Posted to the South West Pacific theatre in March 1942, Jackson was promoted to Squadron Leader and given command of No. 75 Squadron at Port Moresby, New Guinea, operating P-40 Kittyhawks. Described as "rugged, simple" and "true as steel",[1] he earned praise for his leadership during the Battle of Port Moresby before his death in combat on 28 April 1942. His younger brother Les took over No. 75 Squadron, and also became a fighter ace. Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby, is named in John Jackson's honour.
Contents |
John Jackson was born on 23 February 1908 in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm, Queensland, the eldest son of businessman William Jackson and his wife Edith. Educated at Brisbane Grammar School and The Scots College, Warwick, Jackson joined the Young Australia League and visited Europe with the organisation.[1] After leaving school he ran a grazing property in St George.[2] In the early 1930s he went into business managing engineering and financial concerns. He subsequently took up flying, purchasing a Klemm Swallow low-wing monoplane.[1]
In August 1936, Jackson joined the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve, known as the Citizen Air Force.[2][3] He also competed in the 1936 South Australian centenary air race, flying from Brisbane to Adelaide. On 17 February 1938, he married Elisabeth Thompson at Christ Church, North Adelaide; the couple had a son and a daughter.[1] Following the outbreak of World War II, Jackson was called up for active duty as a Pilot Officer in the RAAF on 2 October 1939.[3][4] His younger brother Les joined the Air Force the following month.[1] Jackson served initially with No. 23 Squadron at Archerfield, Queensland, gaining promotion to Flying Officer in April 1940.[3][5] He was posted to the Middle East in October 1940 to join No. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron, disembarking a month later.[5][6]
Jackson's first taste of action with No. 3 Squadron in the North African campaign was at the controls of a Gloster Gladiator. Soon after he arrived, he had an accident taking off that finished with the biplane on its nose.[7] Once the unit converted to Hawker Hurricanes, however, he began to score victories in quick succession. He shot down three Junkers Ju 87s in a single sortie near Mersa Matruh on 18 February 1941, the same action in which Gordon Steege claimed three.[3][8] On 5 April, Jackson fired several bursts at a Ju 87 before his guns jammed; he then made two more dummy attacks and succeeded in forcing the German plane to crash land in a wadi, thus claiming his fourth aerial victory.[3][9]
After converting to P-40 Tomahawks, No. 3 Squadron took part in the Syria-Lebanon campaign. Jackson became a flying ace on 25 June 1941, when he destroyed a Potez 630 light bomber (possibly a misidentified LeO 451) of the Vichy French air force. He followed this up by claiming a Dewoitine D.520 fighter on 10 July. The next day Jackson shared in the destruction of another D.520 with Bobby Gibbes; the pair tossed a coin to take full credit for it, which Gibbes won to claim his first "kill".[2][10] Jackson was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in July 1941, and returned to Australia that November to serve in the South West Pacific.[1][5][Note 1] He was Mentioned in Despatches, and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his "marked keeness and determination" during operations with No. 3 Squadron in the Middle East.[5][11] The former award was promulgated in the London Gazette on 1 January 1942 and the latter, which listed him as "John Henry Jackson", on 7 April.[12][13] The DFC was presented to Jackson's widow Elisabeth, after his death.[14]
Following brief postings to No. 1 Service Flying Training School at RAAF Station Point Cook, Victoria, and No. 4 Squadron in Canberra, Jackson was promoted to acting Squadron Leader.[5] He was appointed Commanding Officer (CO) of No. 75 Squadron, barely two weeks after the unit was formed at Townsville, Queensland, on 4 March 1942.[2][15] On 21 March he led its main force to Seven Mile Aerodrome to take part in the defence of Port Moresby, one of the crucial early battles in the New Guinea campaign,[16] and described as "one of the most gallant episodes in the history of the RAAF".[15] The squadron was equipped with P-40 Kittyhawks, whose long-awaited delivery to the Air Force had seen them irreverently dubbed "Tomorrowhawks", "Neverhawks", and "Mythhawks" by the beleaguered garrison at Moresby.[17] Jackson's age of thirty-four was considered advanced for a fighter pilot, and he was affectionately known as "Old John" to his men, one of whom was his younger brother Les, now a Flight Lieutenant. As CO, Jackson's leadership was to prove inspirational to his pilots, many of whom had received only nine days of training in fighter tactics, and fired their guns just once.[16][17]
On 22 March, the day after he arrived in New Guinea, Jackson took No. 75 Squadron on a surprise raid against Lae airfield, claiming a dozen Japanese planes destroyed on the ground and five more damaged,[2][16] for the loss of two Kittyhawks. The Japanese struck back the next day, destroying two Kittyhawks on Seven Mile Aerodrome. With his losses already mounting, Jackson was given permission to withdraw the squadron to Horn Island in Far North Queensland, but refused.[15][17] On 4 April, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire while leading a strafing attack on enemy positions. Forced to ditch his aircraft on a coral reef, he made it to shore with the aid of a life jacket that Les dropped to him.[2][3] Jackson had to crash land again six days later, when he was shot down after being surprised by three Zeros during a solo reconnaissance mission near Lae.[1][15] After playing dead beside his crashed plane to discourage the Japanese fighters from machine-gunning him, he had to make his way through jungle for over a week to Wau, with the help of two New Guinea natives. When he arrived back at Port Moresby by plane on 23 April, it was during a Japanese air raid and a bullet cut off the tip of his right index finger.[16][18] Five days later he led No. 75 Squadron's five remaining serviceable aircraft to intercept a force of Japanese bombers and their escort. He destroyed an enemy fighter before he himself was shot down and killed.[15][16][Note 2]
Les Jackson took over command of No. 75 Squadron the day after his brother was killed. John Jackson was survived by his wife and children, and interred in Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby.[1][19] He was credited with a total of eight aerial victories during the war.[2][3][5][20] His name appears on panel 104 of the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.[21] Port Moresby's Seven Mile Aerodrome was renamed Jackson's Strip in his honour; it later became Jacksons International Airport.[1][17] In a 1989 interview, fellow No. 75 Squadron member Flight Lieutenant Albert Tucker commented, "I would say that had John F. Jackson not existed, the squadron would not have been effective in that defence role for as long as it was ... So the whole spirit of John F's leadership, and I suppose his final sacrifice, was the thing that made 75 Squadron."[22]