No. 211 Radar Station RAAF, Mascot, NSW, Home Hill, QLD, during WW2

Large "igloo" of No. 211 Radar Station RAAF, Charlie's Hill,
south of Home Hill, in north Queensland

211 Radar Station started at Mascot in New South Wales on 12 June 1943 under the command of Pilot Officer J.E. Jones. 211 Radar Station then commenced operations at Home Hill in north Queensland on 23 September 1943.

The well preserved buildings of 211 Radar Station at Charlie's Hill, near Home Hill in north Queensland are listed in the Queensland Heritage Register for their historical and military significance.

The site was home to a number of RAAF personnel between 1943 and 1945 who ran the station on a continuous basis. It was equipped with British radio equipment with two large 62 metre towers. There were two large igloos and two smaller igloos on the slope of Charlie's Hill housed the diesel generators to power the radar station. The radar site at Charlie's Hill was able to detect aircraft from a range of 320 miles.

Note:- Wally Barnett contacted me on 11 July 2010 and suggested that
this is a machine gun post and the machine gun would have been mounted
on the steel bit in the middle. It is located on the eastern side of the radar
site, which is the direction that the Japanese would come from.

Flying Officer R.L.O. Trainor took over as the Commanding Officer of 211 Radar Station on 29 August 1944. He was followed by Pilot Officer R.A. Manson on 9 November 1944. Flying Officer R.P. Loh took over as the Commanding Officer on 26 February 1945. Pilot Officer W.G. Tyrrell took over as the final Commanding Officer of 211 Radar Station on 2 June 1945.

WAAAF Edna Marion Southward (98532) and her friend sun baking at 211 Radar Site near Hom Hill

Edna Marion Southward (98532) from Ayr in north Queensland was one of the WAAAF's based at the 211 Radar Station near Home Hill. She referred to the site as Mount Inkerman. Edna sometimes flew between Brisbane or Sydney and Townsville on military aircraft. Two of her brothers served in the Army and her future husband was in the Army Engineer Corps, Small Ships Section. After the war she told the family she new about the Battle of the Coral Sea when it was happening but was not able to tell anyone.

I'd like to thank Ken Hogan, Wally Barnett and Steve Bryce for their assistance with this home page.

I'd also like to thank Gerald Southward for his assistance with this web page. Gerald is the nephew of Edna Marion Southward (98532) who was based at 211 Radar site at Mt. Inkerman.

"Units of the Royal Australian Air Force - Volume 5 Radar Units"
Compiled by the RAAF Historical Section

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