Henry Wrigley
Henry Neilson Wrigley | |
---|---|
Air Vice Marshal | |
Commands held | No. 3 Squadron AFC (1919) RAAF Station Laverton (1936–39) No. 1 Group (1939–40) Southern Area Command (1940) RAAF Overseas Headquarters (1942–46) |
Battles/wars | World War I
World War II
|
Awards | |
Other work | Author |
Wrigley was a founding member of the RAAF in 1921 and held staff posts in the ensuing years. In 1936, he was promoted to
Early life and World War I
Henry Neilson Wrigley was born on 21 April 1892 in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne, to Henry and Beatrice Wrigley.[1][2] He was educated at Richmond Central School and at Melbourne High School, where he joined the cadets.[3] Studying at the University of Melbourne, he became a state school teacher and a member of the militia before the outbreak of World War I.[3][4] He joined the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) on 5 October 1916.[5] Wrigley trained as a pilot under the tutelage of Lieutenant Eric Harrison at Central Flying School in Point Cook, Victoria, before departing Melbourne on 25 October aboard a troopship bound for Europe.[5][6]
After further training in England, Wrigley was posted to France and flew on the
Between the wars
Wrigley became No. 3 Squadron's commanding officer in January 1919, and returned to Australia on 6 May.
On 1 January 1920, Wrigley transferred to the
Wrigley travelled to England in 1928 to attend
World War II
As part of the RAAF's reorganisation following the outbreak of World War II, No. 1 Group was formed under Wrigley's command in Melbourne on 20 November 1939, to oversee the operations of air bases and units in Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) was at this time an RAF officer, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett, who hoped to see his daughter Sybil-Jean, a veteran of Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force, take charge of the WAAAF. Wrigley successfully argued against this, telling Burnett that there had already been "enough public outcry" over a non-Australian being named CAS, and there would be "a further public outcry" if anyone other than an Australian was appointed WAAAF Director.[3][36] On 21 May, he selected Berlei executive Clare Stevenson as WAAAF Director, passing over temporary appointee Mary Bell, wife of a serving RAAF group captain. Wrigley chose Stevenson on the basis of her management background and because she was not a "socialite".[37] Bell, who was offered the position of Deputy Director, chose to resign from the WAAAF on learning of Stevenson's appointment, but Wrigley later convinced her to rejoin.[34] Meanwhile, Wrigley played a leading part in the development of the Air Training Corps, formed in April 1941 to facilitate basic training for youths aged sixteen to eighteen who hoped to become RAAF aircrew.[38][39]
Wrigley's promotion to acting
As AOC RAAF Overseas Headquarters, Wrigley was responsible for looking after the interests of RAAF aircrew stationed in the European and the Middle Eastern theatres, liaising between the British Air Ministry and the Australian government regarding technical developments and information on the war in the Pacific, and negotiating revisions to the terms of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).[46] The role had little influence on the deployment of Australian personnel for the air offensive in Europe, who were subject to RAF policy and strategy even when they belonged to RAAF squadrons.[24][47] According to the official history of Australia in the war, Wrigley and his predecessors could hardly do more than "retard the centrifugal forces affecting Australian disposition, and repair the worst administrative difficulties arising from wide dispersion".[48]
Wrigley became a familiar and popular figure for the thousands of Australian airmen who passed through London during the war, and was known to take off his jacket and tend bar at Codgers, the headquarters' watering hole.[24][47] An EATS graduate later remarked that "under Air Vice-Marshal Wrigley we got tremendous service ... I was in North Africa, Italy, Sardinia, Corsica and then back in the United Kingdom. We got our mail, we got our comforts ... Not only that, when some cow went and pinched 100 quid from me when I was on leave in London, the next day, with a shaking hand, I was able to sign for another 100 quid and have a good time."[49]
In March 1943, following negotiations that had begun the previous year, Wrigley signed a revision of EATS that finally recognised Australia's "national aspirations" regarding concentration of her airmen in RAAF squadrons as opposed to them being scattered throughout RAF units, reasonable prospects of promotion and rotation for staff, and pay and other conditions of service confirmed as being per RAAF stipulations. The official history contended that "for the most part Australia was still left chasing a dream rather than a reality", as many clauses in the agreement were "subject to operational exigencies" and to be adhered to only "as far as possible".[50] Wrigley toured the Mediterranean in September, visiting No. 459 Squadron in the Middle East, and travelling to Sicily to interview ground staff of No. 450 Squadron over their grievances concerning lack of promotion and leave; his presence was considered to have defused this situation.[51][52]
Wrigley's son Ronald enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in September 1944 and served until his demobilisation in 1946.[53] The end of hostilities in Europe on 7 May 1945 raised a major logistical challenge for Wrigley as the senior officer responsible for some 13,500 RAAF personnel spread across Britain, the Mediterranean, and the continent, only a minority of whom were in nominally Australian squadrons, the bulk serving with RAF establishments. "The task was energetically met", according to the official history; fewer than 1,000 RAAF personnel remained in RAF units by 1 September, although repatriation continued through into the new year.[54]
Retirement and legacy
Wrigley was forcibly retired from the RAAF in 1946, along with other senior commanders and veterans of World War I, ostensibly to make way for the advancement of younger and equally capable officers.
An "inveterate note-taker" according to friends, during his career Wrigley compiled extensive documentation concerning the theory and practice of air power, on which he lectured among his colleagues in the RAAF during the 1920s.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Dennis et al., The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History, pp. 606–609
- ^ a b c d Draper, Who's Who in Australia 1985, p. 924
- ^ a b c d "Australian War Memorial Interview Transcript". 3 Squadron – Australian Flying Corps / Royal Australian Air Force. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Department of Defence, Personnel File, p. 5
- ^ a b c "Henry Neilson Wrigley". The AIF Project. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 9–10
- ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, pp. 19–21
- ^ "Recommendation: Distinguished Flying Cross" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "No. 31378". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1919. pp. 7031–7032.
- ^ a b c O'Loghlin; Stephens, "The Air Power Notebooks of Air Vice-Marshal H.N. Wrigley", pp. 43–51
- ^ Department of Defence, Personnel File, p. 4
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 26
- ^ a b Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, p. 32
- ^ a b Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 14–17
- ^ "No. 31974". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 July 1920. p. 7422.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 17–18
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 20
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 16 Archived 7 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 42
- ^ a b c Coulthard-Clark, Air Marshals of the RAAF, p. 38
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, A Hero's Dilemma, p. 65
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 712
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 27
- ^ a b c d e f g Stephens; Isaacs, High Fliers, pp. 36–39
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 84
- ^ a b c d Department of Defence, Personnel File, p. 8
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 144–145
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 349–350
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 67. Archived 3 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force!, p. 23.
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 91–92. Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force!, pp. 301–302.
- ^ "No. 35029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1941. p. 11.
- ^ a b Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 99–100. Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thomson, The WAAAF in Wartime Australia, p. 70.
- ^ Thomson, The WAAAF in Wartime Australia, pp. 52–54.
- ^ Dennis et al., The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History, p. 606.
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, p. 332.
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 101. Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "High rank for RAAF officer". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 16 May 1941. p. 19. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, A Hero's Dilemma, p. 95.
- ^ a b Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force!, pp. 200–203.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, A Hero's Dilemma, pp. 91–95.
- ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force!, pp. 197–200.
- ^ Ashworth, How Not to Run an Air Force!, pp. 200, 205–206.
- ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943 Archived 19 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 525, 543.
- ^ a b Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945, p. 278.
- ^ Mordike, The RAAF in Europe and North Africa 1939–1945, p. 17.
- ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943 Archived 19 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 543–546.
- ^ Wilson, The Brotherhood of Airmen, p. 100.
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945 Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, p. 77.
- ^ "Wrigley, Ronald Neilson – Record of Service". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945 Archived 27 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 446–451.
- ^ Helson, Ten Years at the Top, pp. 228–235
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 179–181
- ^ "Wrigley, Henry Neilson". World War 2 Nominal Roll. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Legge, Who's Who in Australia 1971, p. 993
- ^ Beaumont, Australian Defence: Sources and Statistics, p. 237
- ^ Stephens, Going Solo, pp. 451, 498
- ^ Elias, David (13 December 1979). "Flight to claim lost glory". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. p. 17. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Phillips, The Heritage Homes of the Australian Defence Force, p. 51 Archived 30 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Henry Wrigley Drive". Whereis. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Directive by the Chief of Air Force – Annual CAF Essay Competition" (PDF). Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
References
- Ashworth, Norman (2000). How Not to Run an Air Force! The Higher Command of the Royal Australian Air Force During the Second World War: Volume 1. Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0-642-26550-X. Archived from the originalon 6 October 2011.
- Beaumont, Joan, ed. (2001). Australian Centenary History of Defence: Volume VI – Australian Defence: Sources and Statistics. Melbourne: ISBN 0-19-554118-9.
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1991). The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921–39. North Sydney: ISBN 0-04-442307-1.
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1995). Air Marshals of the RAAF 1935–1995. Canberra: Department of Defence (Air Force Office).
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1997). McNamara VC: A Hero's Dilemma. Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0-642-26500-3.
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
- Department of Defence (1931–2004). RAAF Personnel File – Wrigley, Henry Neilson. Canberra: National Archives of Australia.
- Draper, W. J., ed. (1985). Who's Who in Australia 1985. Melbourne: The Herald and Weekly Times.
- Gillison, Douglas (1962). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Canberra: OCLC 2000369.
- Helson, Peter (2006). Ten Years at the Top (Ph. D thesis). Sydney: OCLC 225531223.
- Herington, John (1963). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume IV – Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3633419.
- Herington, John (1954). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume III – Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3633363.
- Legge, J. S., ed. (1971). Who's Who in Australia 1971. Melbourne: The Herald and Weekly Times.
- Mordike, John, ed. (1994). The RAAF in Europe and North Africa 1939–1945: The Proceedings of the 1994 RAAF History Conference. Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre. ISBN 0-642-22475-7. Archived from the originalon 28 February 2011.
- O'Loghlin, Brendan; Stephens, Alan. "The Air Power Notebooks of Air Vice-Marshal H.N. Wrigley" (PDF). Australian Defence Force Journal (86 January/February 1991). Canberra: Department of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2012.
- Phillips, Peter, ed. (1996). The Heritage Homes of the Australian Defence Force. Barton, Australian Capital Territory: The Defence Housing Authority. ISBN 0-642-25993-3.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations. Canberra: ISBN 0-644-42792-2.
- Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond: Royal Australian Air Force. ISBN 0-646-05212-8.
- Stephens, Alan (1995). Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42803-1.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
- Stephens, Alan; Isaacs, Jeff (1996). High Fliers: Leaders of the Royal Australian Air Force. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-45682-5.
- Thomson, Joyce (1991). The WAAAF in Wartime Australia. Melbourne: ISBN 0-522-84525-8.
- Wilson, David (2005). The Brotherhood of Airmen. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-333-0.
Further reading
- Stephens, Alan; O'Loghlin, Brendan, eds. (1990). The Decisive Factor: Air Power Doctrine by Air Vice-Marshal H. N. Wrigley. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-12770-8.
- Wrigley, H. N. (1935). The Battle Below: Being the History of No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. Sydney: Errol G. Knox. OCLC 2634858.
- Wrigley, H. N. (1969). Aircraft and Economic Development: The RAAF Contribution. Adelaide: OCLC 219848501.