No. 32 Radar Station RAAF

RAAF photo

Brief History

32 Radar Station RAAF, a fixed station or 'AW' station, was established on 16 Oct 1942 in Fremantle, and the personnel moved to Rottnest Island on 5 Nov 1942 to begin construction. AW, in RAAF terms, designated a fixed station us1ng the AW or AW Transportable aerial which was developed from the Army SHD equipment. These aerials had a heavy steel structure including a tower with electrically driven turning gear and required a concrete base. The equipment was housed in a concrete or other substantial building and did not rotate with the array.

The unit was still operating on Rottnest Island as late as 18 March 1946.

Unit Personnel

• Reginald William Jordan 29 Jan 1944 - 4 Dec 1944

Notes

Content including the photo has come from Units of the Royal Australian Air Force - A Concise History - Volume 5 Radar Units page 82 - Australian Government Publishing Service - 1995.

This newspaper article indicates that perhaps five other, taller towers were also erected on the island.

Trove - The Daily News Wed 10 Aug 1949