Noel Gray was the senior radar armament artificer in Exmouth, a member of AEME attached to 3 Aust. Corps within 2^nd Aust, Radar Detachment, RAA. He was responsible for installing, calibrating, and maintaining all army radar equipment in the area.

Noel along with several of his group reconnoitred Rough Range looking for a suspected Japanese ground party that had been landed from submarines or dropped by parachute. They probably used two-way radio but Noel's group lacked the communication equipment to prove the point. They signalled to Japanese offshore Naval forces with Very lights from their high vantage points when they sighted any significant military movement of Allied forces at sea or on the ground. Noel's group found evidence of the existence of the Japanese patrols from discarded cigarette packets, food cans (tinned fish) and worn-out shoes. According to Christopher Gray, Noel Gray personally reported the story to General Blamey at LHQ in Melbourne. Untrained RAAF and the USN personnel undertook similar missions from time to time but were also unsuccessful in making direct contact with the Japanese patrol.