Boxed
set of memories
By Teena Cardillo
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Bill
Gray inspects memorabilia that he donated to the RAAF Museum.
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Photo
by Teena Cardillo
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BILL
Gray has his share of sporting achievements. His forays into the
world of sport include athletics, football and whatever else took
his interest during his career as an Air Force flight mechanic
and engine fitter.
But
it was those moments in the boxing ring that earned Leading Aircraftman
Bill Gray the most enjoyment and notoriety. During World War II,
he competed as a welterweight for the Air Force, boxing in Australia
and New Guinea. It was a time when anything could happen, he said.
“I
was in the main bout in a fourround fight in New Guinea and I
nearly got killed. I hadn’t had a fight for four months, but
the CO said to me, ‘Gray, you’re it!’ My opponent gave me a real
hiding that night. I found out that he’d been fighting 10-round
pro fights in Manila,” he said.
“Being
presented with a trophy at the end of a tournament [when] you’ve
been belted around was pretty special. You’re in front of your
mates in the unit, or those in the same Service that are cheering
for you and you feel pretty good.
“The
officers at the station took notice, too. Some of them strutted
around when their division went well!”
As
there wasn’t enough room in his Melbourne home to keep all of
his Air Force memorabilia, Bill donated his collection – including
medals, boxing programs, photographs and newspaper clippings –
to the RAAF Museum at RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook in 1995.
The
objects have been placed in a temperature and humidity-controlled
storage environment, however it is likely that one of Bill’s trophies
will be placed on display when the Museum begins a major refurbishment
later this year.
Bill’s
collection is a rarity because it tells a full story of one person’s
achievements as part of his Air Force career, according to Registrar
Gary Walsh.
“Bill’s
memorabilia tells a personal story of the kind that the RAAF Museum
has always taken an interest in,” Mr Walsh said.
Now
81, Bill was reunited with his donated boxing memorabilia on a
visit to the Museum last month. His pilgrimage was an opportunity
to “play show-and-tell” with his son-in-law Darren, who had developed
an interest in Bill’s service.
Bill
joked, “Nobody wants [to see these items] until one person shows
an interest. Now everyone in the family is saying, ‘Why wasn’t
I invited?’”.
The
visit was also a chance to relive some of his old sporting moments,
not all of them pleasant, but all fondly remembered.
“The
boxing matches were packed to the rafters. Everybody went along.
At a tournament in Mildura, people came from miles around – Army,
Air Force, nurses,” he said.
“During
the war, I played in footy teams with and against a lot of league
footballers that were in the Service and had been posted back
to Melbourne for the winter football season.
“It
brought crowds to the game and people had something to hang their
hat on. In that way, the RAAF was contributing to the general
morale of the community.”
Among
the treasured relics of Bill’s Air Force sporting career is a
timber trophy, which he refers to as his “big egg cup”. Obtained
in 1942 for competing in the first tournament between the US
Forces and the RAAF, the cup is symbolic of a time when metal
was in high demand for the war effort.
One
fight that Bill had stands out in his mind.
“There
was a fellow called Sel Hamilton – I’d seen him in the gym. He
was wearing black boxing shorts with a red stripe down the side.
I thought to myself, ‘Who’s this clown?’ and it turned out that
he was my chosen opponent for the night,” he said.
“Well, he belted me, got me in the corner and I couldn’t get out!
The next week, Sel Hamilton fought for the professional welterweight
championship of Victoria. Ah yes, I remember that one.”
What
the Museum collects
EVERYONE
knows that the RAAF Museum collects aircraft, but there’s more
to its collection. The collection is estimated to include 400,000
individual objects and counting.
It covers all facets of Air Force service, including peacekeeping,
civil aid, expeditionary and joint operations as well as social
history items. Registrar Gary Walsh said often those items that
seemed insignificant were most highly coveted by the Museum.
The
age of the object is not important, as long as it is in some way
related to the Air Force.
The
Museum collects:
