Ian Wrigley served as a Royal Australian Naval Officer during WW2 in the then new specialisation of Navigation and Direction. This involved the use of Radar for both offensive and defensive operations.
Ian was the first Aircraft Direction Officer to serve in HMAS Australia. He was also an officer of the watch and sports officer. At that time, there was no training for a Direction Officer so he was required to teach himself, and his ratings. He was serving as Direction Officer at the time of the Battle of the Coral Sea, and later at Leyte when Australia was struck by a kamikaze.
In September 2016, Ian was interviewed by Navy on his experience as a junior officer in HMAS Australia and as a Direction Officer in particular. Navy later used parts of the interview for Principal Warfare Officer training.
We are fortunate to have the edited audio from the interview. It is highly recommended.
Record in September 2016
Duration 33 minutes
