VK9AJ 1957 Cocos Keeling Islands

Direction Island

Edward Leslie "Les" Lerpiniere, VK9AJ, ex-VK1RW, Silent Key (1903-1983).

VK1RW was also QRV from Cocos-Keeling in the 1950's, then in 1956 the call sign structure changed and he became VK9AJ.
A 1958 issue of QST lists an address for VK1RW and VK9AJ as E. Lerpiniere in Scarborough, Yorks, England.

Direction Island is a small islet. 0.32 square kilometer in size, that is today a popular anchorage for passing yachts.

In 1901 a telegraph cable station was established on Direction Island. Undersea cables went to Rodrigues, Mauritius, Batavia, Java and Fremantle, Western Australia. In 1910 a wireless station was established to communicate with passing ships. The cable station ceased operation in 1966.

QSL from the estate of W8UAS
Info courtesy of W5KNE