Henry Wrigley

Henry Neilson Wrigley
Air Vice Marshal Henry Wrigley in London, 1944
Nickname(s)	"Wrig"
Born	21 April 1892 Melbourne
Died	14 September 1987(1987-09-14) (aged 95) Melbourne
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1916–46
Rank	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 Western Front World War II European Theatre
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross
Other work	Author

Air Vice Marshal Henry Neilson Wrigley, CBE, DFC, AFC (21 April 1892 – 14 September 1987) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). A pioneering flyer and aviation scholar, he piloted the first trans-Australia flight from Melbourne to Darwin in 1919, and afterwards laid the groundwork for the RAAF's air power doctrine. During World War I, Wrigley joined the Australian Flying Corps and saw combat with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross; he later commanded the unit and published a history of its wartime exploits. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for his 1919 cross-country flight.

Wrigley was a founding member of the RAAF in 1921 and held staff posts in the ensuing years. In 1936, he was promoted to group captain and took command of RAAF Station Laverton. Raised to air commodore soon after the outbreak of World War II, he became Air Member for Personnel in November 1940. One of his tasks was organising the newly established Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force and selecting its director, Clare Stevenson, in 1941. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire the same year. Wrigley served as Air Officer Commanding RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London, from September 1942 until his retirement from the military in June 1946. He died in 1987 at the age of ninety-five. His writings on air power were collected and published posthumously as The Decisive Factor in 1990.