A true story
DIAMOND
JACK
What happened to millions of dollars worth of missing diamonds off the Australian coast and who was the mystery man who took them?
The facts
3 March 1942 - A DC-3 carrying Dutch military personnel and civilians fleeing Java is shot down over Carnot Bay, north of Broome, Australia. The pilot, Ivan Smirnoff manages to land the plane but four people are killed as a result of the attack including a mother and her toddler.
Also on board the plane are thousands and thousands of diamonds moved out of Java to stop them falling into the hands of the Japanese.
The survivors are eventually rescued, Jack Palmer, a beachcomber happens upon the wreck of the plane and to his amazement uncovers the vast treasure.
While he eventually hands in more than 4000 diamonds , there were more. Much more.
He was eventually tried over the theft of the diamonds and acquiitted but what happened to the rest of the diamonds and just who was "Diamond Jack" remains a mystery!
John Palmer (aka Diamond Jack)
Third from the left (white singlet).
Who was Diamond Jack and where did he come from?
