RAAF Radar Station No. 23 at Lytton Hill, Fort Lytton, Brisbane, QLD

RAAF RADAR STATION NO. 23 AT LYTTON HILL
FORT LYTTON, BRISBANE, QLD

RAAF Radar Station No. 23 was formed at Lytton Hill near Fort Lytton near the mouth of the Brisbane River in Brisbane on 12 June 1942 under the command of Pilot Officer A.J. Allen. During WWII the Margaret Marr Memorial Home for Boys was used as barracks for the staff of No. 23 Radar Station. The Boys were relocated from their home to a disused hospital in Proston.

On 13 May 1943, No. 23 Radar Station plotted a surface vessel which was located about 40 miles off the coast of Moreton Island. The blip was characteristic of a surfaced submarine. W.A.A.A.F. Operators P. Woodward, K. Rae and M. Hess reported the plots to the Fighter Sector Control in Brisbane. The plots were verified by the Commanding Officer of No. 23 Radar Station, Pilot Officer W. Fielder-Gill.

The hospital ship "Centaur" was torpedoed off Moreton Island by the Japanese submarine I-177 at 4.10am on the following day, 14 May 1943. 268 people were killed in this disaster.

Aubrey M Brown (62677) was located at Fort Lytton as a Radar Operator from 29 May 1942 until 1 October 1942. Aubrey said that the Radar site was shared with the Army who looked after RAAF Administration at Lytton. There was a railway line serving the site, but it was a long walk from the site to the station. Aubrey thought that the Commanding Officer was a chap named FLETCHER while he was stationed there.

Aubrey Brown advised that before the evening of 31 May 1942, when the Japanese midget submarines attacked Sydney Harbour, the three mother submarines were detected by No. 23 Radar Station at Fort Lytton. This provided some warning that an attack would most probably occur somewhere along the coast.

REFERENCE BOOKS

RAAF RADAR in WW II Pictorial I Overseas and Early Groups at Radio School

RAAF RADAR in WW II Pictorial II Mainland Stations

PICTORIAL III RAAF RADAR in WW II (An Album from all Areas)

The above three books were all published by:-

EW & E Simmonds
2/13 CROMER ct
Banora Point
NSW 2486

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products