Ces Romalli's Test Jersey: A Remarkable Story

The Ces Romalli Test Jersey, Australian Rugby Jersey, All Blacks Tour to Australia 1938, Test match jersey Number 7, worn by Ces Romalli in either the Brisbane or Sydney tests in August of 1938. Hand written note affixed to jersey by Charles Saxton reads 'Australia 1938 my opposite number jersey [Ces Romalli]'. Note - Ces Romalli was born in 1919 the last of six children to an Indian Muslim father and an Aborigine mother, Ces was sent to boarding school where he excelled in playing Rugby Union. He was selected to play in the Second Test against the All Blacks in Brisbane and in an amazing coincidence Winston Ide a Queenslander was also selected, together, the first Asian Wallabies. The young Romalli was the standout performer but at a cost he played the second half with a broken nose and two black eyes. He was selected for the third Wallabies tour of the British Isles, war broke out and cut the tour short, Romalli enlisted and was posted to Malaya, where he was captured and sent to Changi POW camp and then North to build the Burma Railway, he survived and was sent in a convoy ship to Nagasaki as slave labour to work in the coal mines. He was supposed to be on the 'Rokyo' But just missed what became a roll call of the dammed, torpedoed by the USS Sealion, killing 549 Australians including fellow Wallabies team mate Winston Ide. On his return Romalli told his son Peter about surviving the Nagasaki atomic bomb dropped 9 August 1945. 'He was down in the mine under Nagasaki Harbour, when his 12 hour shift was extended to a 24 hour shift. By the time he came up there was no city left'.