Len Waters

First and only Aboriginal Australian fighter pilot of World War II; flew 95 combat missions with No. 78 Squadron RAAF

Leonard Victor Waters, of Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) heritage, joined the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II and became the first — and to date only — Aboriginal Australian fighter pilot of the war. He flew with No. 78 Squadron, completing 95 combat missions flying the P-40 Kittyhawk fighter, real, sustained combat flying rather than a brief or symbolic wartime role. After the war, Waters wanted to build on that experience by starting his own commercial airline — a natural next step for a skilled, combat-proven pilot. He was unable to secure the financial backing needed to do so, an outcome that his family and multiple Australian historical accounts attribute to racial discrimination he faced as an Aboriginal man, even after his distinguished military service. It's a genuinely sobering coda to his wartime record: real combat service didn't translate into the same postwar opportunities available to non-Indigenous veteran pilots. His story has been increasingly recognized in Australia in recent decades, including a 2023 memorial marking his contribution as the country's only Aboriginal fighter pilot of the war.

As a fighter pilot, Waters flew 95 real combat missions in a P-40 Kittyhawk — sustained operational flying under wartime conditions, not a single flight or symbolic posting.

His postwar experience trying and failing to start an airline is a real historical example of how access to aviation careers has never been purely about skill — a sober, honest context for understanding aviation's history alongside its technical content.

He remains, to date, the only Aboriginal Australian fighter pilot of World War II.Despite his combat record, he was unable to secure backing to start his own airline after the war — an outcome attributed to racial discrimination.

Waters was denied financial backing to start his own commercial airline after the war, an outcome multiple sources attribute to racial discrimination he faced as an Aboriginal Australian; this is presented as documented historical record, consistent with how his own family and Australian media have described it.

Wikipedia; Anzac Portal; ABC News

Photo: Not stated · Public domain · Source

• Aboriginal WWII fighter pilot Len Waters memorialised