The BIG Question

Hundreds of Lancasters rip through the sky, each aircraft’s four engines raging like hounds from hell. Each with an equal chance of being shot down. Onboard one of these magnificent machines of war, the Queen Bouadecia,  sits Sergeant Tony Adams, rather cold and shivering with anticipation. Small waves of fear crash inside his stomach as thoughts of death appear fleetingly in his mind. Without warning a large bang splits the night sky, piercing ear drums as it spreads its ominous presence. Peering out of a glass dome located behind the pilot, he sees firsthand what happens next. Explosions litter the sky in spherical clouds of black smoke. All around him Tony sees aircraft burst into flames and sail downwards, four engines screaming before they hit the ground with a sickening eruption. The Queen Boudia bumps through the field of fire as shells smash into her armour. No lucky marksman has hit the fuel tanks. Yet. The once pristine sky is riddled with walls of hideous fumes, eyes and ears are burnt by blinding surges of light as the human senses are overwhelmed with the scene they witness before them. Tony could easily be one of those shot down that night. But he wasn’t. 

 

Tony Hill Adams was a son, wife, father, accountant and Wireless Operator. During World War Two, he flew with Bomber Command. Originally consisting of British airmen, Bomber Command was a branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The men in the Command flew in bomber aircraft and suffered some of the highest casualty rates of the war. During World War Two, its numbers increased greatly and it often that an aircrew consisting of Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders. I chose Tony because I think he is a truly interesting person with unique and incredibly important stories to tell. He is a prime example of someone who has pushed through a situation, no matter how desolate it may be; a fast disappearing quality.  

 

‘Older men start wars, but it is youth that must fight them.’ 

Herbert Hoover 

War is a disease that can quickly spread given the right motive. Over 75 million people were victims of World War Two, almost three times the population of Australia (as of  31st March, 2021). Just imagine living in that period. Even safe at home, you heard the atrocities, the mass murder happening, usually rather close to you. You’d have to be incredibly optimistic to survive that period, fend off all those dark thoughts. Now imagine fighting in that period. All the life that was wasted, the blood that was spilled, the families that were torn. Knowing that the person sitting next to you at breakfast might not be there tomorrow. That was what life was like for Anthony Hill Adams. His bravery is unparalleled and he worked towards a vital component that continues to conduct our world today: freedom. 

 

Anthony (Tony) Adams was born on the 12th of January 1924. He had two older siblings: Nancy (born 1911) and Dennis (born 1914). He attended Roseville Public School and the local Scouts ‘Pack’. In 1936 he went to Sydney Grammar School College Street for his high school education. A Notable from the very beginning, Tony was a top student at a highly academic school: ‘I was in A class, so I had a nice classroom. If you were in D class your classroom wasn’t so nice. We used to call them the dungeons.’ Tony’s year group turned out seven judges, including the Honourable Mervyn Finnlay, who was a Judge of the High Court of Australia from 1969-1972 (pictured left).  Tony attended the school for three years as the learning was divided into two sections. The first three years were compulsory, but the last two were optional because the extra schooling was only required of people looking for a specialised career such as doctors or lawyers. Tony believed that the classes at College Street were not extremely strict; the cane used more frequently at Roseville Public. Although, Tony recollected one beating at Grammar: ‘On one occasion, a fellow was called up in front of the whole school and was asked to bend over. Six of the best, we used to call them.’ Tony played Football and Cricket during his time at Grammar, but by far his favourite sport was Tennis. 

 

Life in the 20th Century was no walk in the park (despite the Sydney Grammar School fees being $25 per term!). On the 28th July 1914 World War 1 began. For four years the globe was ravaged by conflict and when it finally ended in 1918, people were left to pick up the broken pieces of their families and lives. Just over a decade later in 1929, the Great Depression struck, putting thousands out of jobs. Precisely ten years later, World War Two broke out. In a period of 20 years, the world had suffered through two wars and an economic downfall of incomprehensible proportions. You had to be tough from the moment you were born and Tony was no exception. He described his experience of the Great Depression being just five years old at the time: ‘You used to get people knocking on the door trying to sell you things. Shoelaces, things like that. But we weren’t affected too badly by the Great Depression.’ Tony demonstrated determination from the start, and that would prove useful in his later years where he joined up with the RAF. 

 

Aged 15, Tony left Sydney Grammar in 1939 to start an accounting course. He got his first job at 16 years of age and so his accounting career began. However, Germany was becoming increasingly versatile. The German military was undergoing great expansions, while the first Concentration Camp (a camp designed to exterminate the Jewish Population), Dachau, opened as early as 1933. In 1936, Jessie Owens was denied Olympic Gold by Hitler, demonstrating Germany’s oppressive intentions. Two years after starting his first job, Tony was called to duty. Tony grew up hearing about horrible injuries that one was exposed to in the army during the ANZAC day service, so he was adamant that he would not join the military: ‘...so I was quite determined not to go in the army. If I’m going to get killed I want to get killed quickly!’ He was fascinated by the stories of Charles Kingsford Smith so he decided he would fly in the Royal Australian Air Force. ‘I knew I couldn't be a pilot; I couldn't even drive a motor car! I was fairly good at maths, so I told them I wanted to be a navigator. Somehow they heard I had learnt Morse Code in the Army so they put me down as a Wireless Operator.’ Tony attended a medical examination that was required to be able to enlist in the air force. Scraping through his medical, Tony was placed on the RAAF Reserve List. Tony’s doctor emphasises his close graduation post examination: ‘alright son you're in, but by God get some weight on you!’ Unfortunately, Tony wasn’t able to just waltz into the RAAF. As soon as he turned 18, he was snatched from the Reserve List by the Australian Army. He served in the 2nd Division Signals which was attached to the 7th Field Regiment. It was here where he learnt morse code which would later serve him when he was in Bomber Command. He operated in Western Australia for 8 months defending the coast from the Japanese but did not see much action. In 1942 Tony got his preference and was transferred to the RAAF. He completed Initial Training at Bradfield Park before he was moved to Parkes, New South Wales for training as a Wireless Operator. After attending an Air Gunner training course Port Pirie for; he graduated as a Wireless Air Gunner with the rank of Sergeant. 

 

Before he could start flying, Tony started a lengthy journey. Starting off at Sydney, Australia, Tony sailed aboard the American troop ship Matsonia, journeying to San Francisco. Via a quick stop at Boston, Tony made his way to New York where he boarded the Queen Mary - the vessel had been converted to a troopship. In New York, Tony visited the Empire State Building, describing the unbelievable experience of being at such a high altitude: ‘The tallest building in Sydney at the time was 12 floors. The Empire State Building was 102.” Along with 15, 683 souls, he sailed over to the River Clyde in Scotland. Venturing once more, Tony and the other air force volunteers moved to Brighton in Sussex, England. It was here that Tony decided to be a wireless operator only, instead of being a wireless air gunner. Along with 20 Australians, Tony Returned to Scotland where he did some more training to be a wireless operator. Eight men were killed throughout the course. At little Norwood, Bedfordshire Tony was organized into a crew. For the rest of his service, these would be the men Tony slept with, ate with and risked his life with. Each aircrew formed a very tight bond that is still evident in the veterans who live today. At Little Norwood, there were 20 of each personnel required to operate a bomber aircraft (a Pilot, Navigator, Wireless Operator, Bomb Aimer, an Air Gunner and finally a Flight Engineer). On the first day Tony and his fellow airmen were given four days to attach themselves to a crew. Tony recalled his experience of the chaotic sorting: ‘They said, “Right-O lads, you have four days to form yourselves into crews.” After three and a half days nobody had invited me to join their crew until I saw an old acquaintance. Pilot John Trail, a star Left Arm Spin Bowler I met at Sydney Grammar. He said he would have liked to have me in his crew but had already asked an English Wireless Op. Six months later, four weeks after D-Day Johnny was shot down and the whole crew was killed.’ Eventually, an Australian pilot named Wal Bayer asked Tony to join his crew. 

 

The description of a notable person is ‘someone who has had a positive influence on humanity’. Tony meets the former perfectly. He helped free Europe from the grasp of the Nazis, sacrificing his own wellbeing for the cause. In total, 51% of Bomber Command was killed in action, Tony witnessing some of the awful and unfortunately frequent events himself: “I saw a number of aircraft shot down and some horrifying cases... aircraft with seven men inside burning. They couldn’t get out, the centrifugal force kept them in and they couldn’t get out with their parachutes. It is very, very disturbing.” And that was all if you survived training. A further 8, 000 men were killed training due to old aircraft and inexperience. Tony was one of the 24% that survived completely unscathed. 

 

By the 2nd of September 1945, the war was over. But Tony would not stop there. Succeeding his time in the RAF, Tony became a highly successful accountant and helped raise a family. In 1949, he married June and they lived in Fiddens Wharf Road, Killara where they had two children. Later during 2012 and 2018, Tony attended two unveilings of the Bomber Command Memorials in London and Lincoln, England. During 2014, Tony was presented France’s highest award for bravery, the Chevalier de la Legion D’Honneur (pictured left) in commemoration of his part in the Liberation of France. Sadly, his wife June died three years later during 2017 bringing a magnificent marriage lasting 68 years to a close. Today, Tony continues to be an active part of the community and is often interviewed. He believes that the education of young Australians about the war is of the utmost importance, and I have to say I thoroughly agree with him. 

 

Now I may not have lived through the Great Depression, or fought in a war, but I think Tony and I share a determined, undying spirit. Staying a task, no matter how gruesome or unglorifying it is, would be a spectacular virtue to have. Tony has encouraged me to keep trying, even if I am out of breath in a soccer match, even if I must draft a piece of writing for the 5th time, even if the situation seems bleak. I will think of all those before me who have struggled or been beaten down just like Tony Adams. And I will remember them.