Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Hugh Wrigley, (1 December 1891 – 3 June 1980) was a senior officer of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

who served in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

s. He also served with the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

between 1917 and 1922.Coulthard-Clark, pp. 591–592. After returning to Australia in 1922, Wrigley worked as an oil company representative in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and served in the

Citizens Military Force The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

. During the Second World War he volunteered for overseas service and fought in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, where he commanded the 2/6th Battalion. In

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, Wrigley commanded the 20th Brigade, leading them during the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

. Later in the war he commanded the 33rd Brigade in the

Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

where he took responsibility for overseeing the repatriation of a large number of Australian and British personnel. After the war, Wrigley worked as a public servant in the area of trade and commerce, serving in a number of overseas posts. He died in 1980 at the age of 88.

Early life

Wrigley was born on 1 December 1891 at

Scarsdale, Victoria Scarsdale is a small town in rural Victoria, Australia, and approximately 25 km south west of Ballarat. It is situated in the north-western part of Golden Plains Shire, on the bank of the Woady Yaloak River and is primarily an agricultural ...

, the sixth and youngest child of John Wrigley and Isabella, née McGeachin. He was educated at a number of public and private schools. After completing his education he gained employment as a military staff clerk at the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in May 1911.

First World War

Following the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in the summer of 1914, Wrigley volunteered for overseas service and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 17 August 1914. Granted the rank of

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

, he was allocated to 3rd Brigade headquarters. Arriving at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

in April 1915 on board HMS ''Colne'', he was made temporary

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in October. He was evacuated from the Gallipoli peninsula in December 1915 following the Allied evacuation and returned to Egypt. For his service at Gallipoli he received a

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and on 20 February 1916 he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and posted to the 59th Battalion. In June 1916 he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

prior to deployment to France and posted to the 60th Battalion as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

. He was severely wounded on 19 July during the

Battle of Fromelles The Attack at Fromelles (, Battle of Fromelles, Battle of Fleurbaix or ) 19–20 July 1916, was a military operation on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack was carried out by British and Australian troops and was subsidiary ...

while leading an attack against enemy trenches, for which he was later awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. After spending two months in hospital in England, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in November. He rejoined the 60th Battalion in January 1917 and resumed duties as adjutant in May. In April 1918, he lost his elder brother, Lance Corporal Fred R Wrigley, who was killed in action in France.

Indian Army

Transferring to the

in July 1917, he was appointed as a second lieutenant, although was later promoted to captain. He was initially posted to the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Outram's Rifles and served with them until 1921 when he was transferred to the 1st Battalion, 125th Napier's Rifles. In 1922, these two regiments were amalgamated to form the

6th Rajputana Rifles The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment se ...

. While serving in the Indian Army Wrigley participated in the campaigns in Afghanistan during the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War; fa, جنگ سوم افغان-انگلیس), also known as the Third Afghan War, the British-Afghan War of 1919, or in Afghanistan as the War of Independence, began on 6 May 1919 when the Emirate of Afghanistan inv ...

in 1919, Iraq during the

Iraqi revolt against the British The Iraqi revolt against the British, also known as the 1920 Iraqi Revolt or the Great Iraqi Revolution, started in Baghdad in the summer of 1920 with mass demonstrations by Iraqis, including protests by embittered officers from the old Ottoman ...

between 1920 and 1921 and in

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

in 1922. He returned to Australia later in 1922.

Between the wars

Wrigley purchased a grazing property at

Balmoral, Victoria Balmoral is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Balmoral and the surrounding area had a population of 294. The township was settled in the early 1850s, the Post Off ...

, together with some Indian Army friends. He married Alison Grove Wilson on 8 January 1926 at Gardiner, Melbourne. They had a son before being divorcing. Moving to

Urangeline, New South Wales Urangeline is a village community in the central part of the Riverina. It is situated by road, about 9 kilometres north from Urangeline East and 16 kilometres north east from Bidgeemia. Urangeline Post Office opened on 1 Janua ...

, he gained employment with Vacuum Oil Co. Pty Ltd in 1930 and worked at

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

and later at

Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria and the council seat of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated urban population of 15,682 according to the 2021 census. The total population including the ...

. Between 1933 and 1936, Wrigley was an active member of the

. Following a break in service, he rejoined again in March 1939.

Second World War

Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Wrigley - Egypt April 1940

Following the outbreak of the

, Wrigley volunteered for overseas service and enlisted in the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

. Holding the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, in October 1939 he was posted to the 2/6th Battalion as the unit's

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

. Sailing for the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

in April 1940, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in December and placed in command of the 2/5th Battalion. While fighting at

Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

, he was wounded by shell-fire in the shoulder on 3 January 1941. After a period of convalescence in hospital, he rejoined the 2/6th Battalion in March as commanding officer and led it in the

Greek campaign The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

in April. Promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in January 1942, Wrigley was posted as the officer in charge Australian Imperial Force Reinforcement Depot in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

in February. He was later promoted to temporary

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

on 28 September, and placed in command of the 20th Brigade at the

, Egypt. Relinquishing his acting rank, he resumed his post at the reinforcement depot on 27 October. He was Mentioned in Despatches and appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1943. Returning to Australia in February 1943, Wrigley was commandant of various training depots and bases as a temporary brigadier. Appointed to the command of the 1st Base Sub-Area in September 1944, he travelled with the unit to

Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...

in March 1945. Following the surrender of the Japanese in August, he was appointed in command of the 3rd Australian Prisoner of War Reception Group located in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and helped the return home of over 12,000 British and 3,000 Australian personnel. He was given command of the 33rd Brigade on

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

, Netherlands East Indies from November until February 1946 when he returned to Australia and was transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 30 April.

Later life

Wrigley was appointed to a position in the

Department of Commerce and Agriculture The Department of Commerce and Agriculture was an Australian government department that existed between December 1942 and January 1956. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be ...

in November 1946 and later as a commercial counsellor at the Australian mission in Japan. He was the trade commissioner in Hong Kong and the Philippines between 1949 and 1952,

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, India between 1953 and 1955, and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada between 1955 and 1957. After retiring from the Department of Commerce and Agriculture, Wrigley became a company director and bought property at

Bringelly Bringelly is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Northern Road between Penrith and Camden. It has a public school. Bringelly is also the name of a local hill. History Bringelly was a name given to ...

and

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

, with his son. He married widower Jean Stewart, née Pirrit, at

Burleigh Heads, Queensland Burleigh Heads is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Burleigh Heads had a population of 10,077 people. Geography Burleigh Head is a cape () jutting into the Coral Sea at the northern mouth of Tallebudgera Cre ...

on 18 September 1968. Wrigley died on 3 June 1980 at

Caringbah Caringbah is a suburb in Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Caringbah is south of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local government area of Sutherland Shire. Caringbah once st ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and the son of his first marriage. A portrait painted by W. H. Parry of Wrigley was submitted for the 1944

Archibald prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrigley, Hugh 1891 births 1980 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (state) Australian brigadiers Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian recipients of the Military Cross British Indian Army officers British military personnel of the Iraqi revolt of 1920