LIFE LIST UPDATE – No. 464: Read “Savage Wilderness” by Barry Ralph

“Savage Wilderness: The Epic Outback Search for the Crew of Little Eva” by Barry Ralph was originally published by the Australia’s University of Queensland Press in November 2004. Almost two years later, in October 2006, the 240-page book was republished in the United States by Pelican Publishing Co. under the title of “The Crash of Little Eva: The Ultimate World War II Survival Story.”

I added this book to my “life list” last year because as far as I know it’s the only book that’s been written about Grady Gaston epic struggle for survival after a military plane crash in the Australian wilderness during World War II. Gaston, who died in 1998, was a native of Frisco City, Ala. and was our mailman when I was a kid. Long story short, he was probably the toughest man to ever come out of Monroe County.

In his book, Ralph deftly details how Gaston was the radio operator aboard the “Little Eva,” a B-24 Liberator bomber that was based out of remote airbase in Queensland, Australia. On Dec. 2, 1942, while on their way back from their very first mission against a Japanese convoy, their plane was disabled during a severe thunderstorm. As the plane began to run out of fuel, Gaston and other members of the crew parachuted from the plane moments before it crashed in a remote area of the Australian wilderness.

Gaston found himself in a group of four, who began making their way west toward the coast. Over time, the men began to slowly starve to death and eventually only Gaston was left alive. An extensive search was launched for the plane and the crew, but Gaston wasn’t found until April 23, 1943 when a ranch hand found him walking on the beach. Barely alive, Gaston had survived 141 days in a wilderness that would have killed experienced bushmen and Aborigines in similar circumstances. He would later describe his experience, which led to him being featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!,” as “141 days of hell.”

I’ve been interested in Gaston’s story for decades. When I was in elementary school, our local electric co-op published a lengthy story about Gaston’s war experiences in their weekly magazine, and I kept a copy of it for years before finally misplacing it. In addition to seeing him regularly on his mail route, I can also remember hearing other men, in places like the local barber shop, talking in low voices about how Gaston outlived men from other parts of the country because he’d been raised in Alabama. Also, in a weird twist of life, my brother ended up buying Gaston’s old house and still owns it today.

In the end, how many of you have read “Savage Wilderness” or “The Crash of Little Eva”? What did you think about it? How many of you remember Grady Gaston? Do you have any memories of Gaston that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments section below.