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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

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. It is 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 ...

who served in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

s. He also served with the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

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 New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

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, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

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

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, 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 (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

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 town in 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 community. ...

, 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 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in May 1911.

First World War

Following the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 Military rank, 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 administr ...

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

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

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

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, 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 ...

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) 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 of t ...

and on 20 February 1916 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant 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 Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

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

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), 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 ...

. 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 until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. 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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Formed in 1921, it initially consisted of five active battalions and one training battalion. History Formation and class composition In 1921, the British Indian Army ...

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

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Amir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared a Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as ...

in 1919, Iraq during the

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

between 1920 and 1921 and in

Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...

in 1922. He returned to Australia later in 1922.

Between the wars

Wrigley purchased a grazing property at Balmoral, Victoria, 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 domesticate ...

and later at

Sale, Victoria Sale is a city situated in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia and the council capital of the Shire of Wellington. It had an estimated population of 15,305 in 2022 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total population in ...

. 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 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 strength of one ...

. Holding the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, 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, f ...

. Sailing for the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

in April 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in December and placed in command of the 2/5th Battalion. While fighting at

Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Bardiyah ( 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''. The name Bardia is deeply rooted in the ancient ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, 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 or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasio ...

in April. Promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

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,

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, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

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, 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 government funding allocation could be foun ...

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 ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, 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 cit ...

, 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 give ...

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 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...

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

Burleigh Heads, Queensland Burleigh Heads is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Burleigh Heads had a population of 10,572 people. Geography Burleigh Head is a cape () jutting into the Coral Sea at the northern mouth of Tallebud ...

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 area of Sutherland Shire. Caringbah once stretched from Woolooware Bay o ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, 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