Gerald's Story
1912 – 1941
Gerald Backhouse, from Victoria, finished eighth in the final of the 800 metres at Berlin 1936. After Jack Metcalfe’s bronze medal in the triple jump, Backhouse’s result was the next best of the five-man athletics team in Berlin. He also ran in the heats of the 1500 metres.
Two years later, at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney, he finished second in the mile. Backhouse enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940 and in December 1941 he was killed in a flying accident in England. He was the only Australian Olympian to die in World War II.
Read More
