Personal Stories
William "Bill" Gray (Army - WWII)
Bill grew up in the Lakes Entrance area in Victoria and became a fisherman like his father. He wanted to join up when the war started but could not enlist until the beginning of 1944 because he was too young. When he came of age Bill enlisted in the army at Royal Park, Melbourne. He was sent to Warwick in Queensland for initial training and then volunteered for commando training and sent to the Canungra training camp. Bill joined the 2/10 Commandos and traveled to the United States of America for amphibious training at Trinity Beach. He was then posted to Wewak, New Guinea, to fight against the Japanese advancement. Bill regularly traversed an area from the border to Wewak through mountainous country on patrol until he was injured in a grenade accident. He lay unconscious for a month until the day before the war ended and he came to in hospital. Bill lost sight in both eyes as a result of the accident and was paralysed along his left side. He returned to Australia for Christmas in 1945 and spent his 21st birthday in the Hiedelberg Repatriation Hospital.	Listen to interview (approx. 1 hour) Read Transcript

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Victorians at War - Oral History Project