Catalogue
Catalogue
Object Type
Name/Title
Ronald Withel collection - photographs
Primary Maker
Date
1939-1945
2000s Decade
Physical Description
Photographs, Prints, Postcards
Level of Current Record
Parent
Media
Technique
Subject Category
Content
Images 1-17. Colour photos of RSA funeral.
Image 18- Man with trophy
Image 19- Hand coloured image of dog on card
Images 20-21- Man with Trumpet
Images 22-63- WW2, Egypt and Palestine
Images 64-73- Army band
Images 74-76- Boxing
Associated Notes
Subject Notes
Ronald Withell (9 March 1916-14 May 1998). Service no. 9274, 37350
Ronald Withell took up boxing and music to help gain confidence when overcoming the disability of a childhood stutter. These hobbies played a significant part in Ron’s later military career, which was largely directed towards performing in a range of pursuits aimed at boosting the morale of his comrades throughout the Middle East.
One of the first tranche of men to volunteer for military service, Withell entered Burnham Camp in 1939 to join the newly formed 20th Infantry Battalion, and deployed to Maadi Camp, Cairo, in 1940 as part of the 1st Echelon. His talent for playing the euphonium and cornet was recognized and in 1941 he transferred to the 2NZEF Base Band at Maadi. The band performed across the region, providing the soundtrack for military parades, the greeting of dignitaries and concert parties raising the moral of Kiwi servicemen and locals. He played in the band at Maadi until his return to NZ in 1944. Consequently, the majority of NZ servicemen who served with 2NZEF in the Middle East are likely to have heard him play.
While at Maadi, Withell continued his boxing hobby. He had been a prominent amateur boxer in the years leading up to World War Two, winning the 91kg championship in 1937 becoming amateur heavyweight champion of New Zealand. The following year he was chosen to represent NZ at the Empire Games in Sydney. Soon after arriving at Cairo in 1940, he won the Middle East Forces light-heavyweight boxing title.
Copyright
Collection contains multiple items - rights applied at item level
Last Update
11 May 2023
The development of the Auckland War Memorial Museum online collection is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.