Service In Hard Times And War

Newcastle Herald

Monday October 27, 2008

Tyron Butson

Only 17, he wanted to help his country, writes Tyron Butson.

OBITUARY

STANLEY GRAY

BORN: July 4, 1924

DIED: October 7, 2008

FUNERAL: The Chapel,

Wallsend, on October 13

STANLEY Gray, a man who lied about his age to enlist in the army to give some of his best years for his country, has died.

Mr Gray, who enlisted as a 17-year-old with the Australian Imperial Force in 1941, came back from his war time service and found a country that had changed dramatically in his absence. But with his distinctive sense of independence and strong work ethic he did the best he could, his family said.

Over the years he would continue to carry the brutal memories of four years of warfare and would struggle to explain them to others.

Despite his ordeals, he, like the millions of other young Australians who had given so much, settled back into his normal life, raised his family, worked hard and tried to forget.

Mr Gray was well loved by his family who described him as a stoic figure who treated everyone with respect.

Born in Wickham in 1924 during a time when Australians were doing it tough, Mr Gray's family would be hard hit when Wall Street crashed and dragged the country into the Great Depression in the late 1920s.

While times were hard for the entire family, he would continue to spin many yarns about his times as a child on the "Hollywood" Crown land estate in Jesmond, living with other families.

Mr Gray and his father, some of the first people to live on the Crown land, dug the original water well and would assist the other early arrivals.

When WWII broke out Mr Gray was determined to enlist and despite being underage lied to the recruiting officers and managed to join up on July 3, 1941.

Following his basic training he was assigned to the 67th Mobile Searchlight Battery and posted to New Guinea in preparation for the Japanese advance.

The searchlight battery was tasked with tracking incoming Japanese aircraft and assisting Australian anti-aircraft batteries to defend the coastline.

While overseas he contracted a case of malaria but due to a shortage of troops he was not evacuated home. Within weeks of getting sick he was back on the front lines.

He was eventually demobilised in 1946 as a corporal and would maintain a close bond with the men he had served with during his time overseas.

He married Nancy in July, 1945, while still serving with the Army. The couple would have four children.

Following the war the couple moved into Curry Street, Wallsend, where they would stay for almost 60 years.

Mr Gray first worked as a bread carter, then a bus driver, later a security guard and eventually as a crane driver before his vision deteriorated and he was forced to retire at 54.

Even as his eyesight went, Mr Gray continued to remain independent and would insist on doing everything for himself.

When he and his wife were informed they would have to leave their rented house in Curry Street because of new developments going up, the couple were so determined to stay in the area they loved they moved into a flat across the street.

His wife, who died in 2003, and he spent 59 years in the same street and formed close bonds with all of their neighbours.

While his war time experiences had dramatically affected him, Mr Gray was still a strong, compassionate man, his daughter Denise Blundell said

"He was a simple man and I truly believe the war did change him," she said.

"But people never stopped telling us how often he would tell them how proud he was of his wife and his family."

Mr Gray was also a sports lover who enjoyed rugby union and league in his youth.

Hamilton Returned Services Club sub branch's Ernie Emmett said Mr Gray was a well respected member of the club.

"He was a very nice chap, well liked," he said.

He is survived by his three remaining children, Denise, Steven and Peter.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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