 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Pakutanga kweHondo yeNyika II, Hely akabatanidzwa kuimba yemabasa paRAF Coastal Command. Paakadzokera kuAustralia muna Ndira 1940, akagadzwa Staff Officer Plans pa RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne. Muna Gumiguru, akabatana neMutevedzeri Mukuru weVashandi veMhepo, Air Vice Marshal Bill Bostock, semumiriri kumusangano wekudzivirira muSingapore. Boka reAustralia rakawana kuti mauto omunharaunda akanga asina kugadzirira kurwiswa nemaJapan uye rakakurudzira kuwedzera kukuru mukukwanisa kwemhepo, zvose zviri zviviri muAustralia uye muPacific Islands, kuti vasangane netyisidziro. Hely akasimudzirwa kuva mutungamiri wenguva pfupi munaJanuary akatevera, uye akanga ari mutungamiri weAir Force mumusangano wevashandi muBatavia neSingapore pamusoro pekudzivirirwa kweDutch East Indies. Akava Mutungamiriri weOperations pa RAAF Headquarters muna August. Kukwidziridzwa kwake kuva mutungamiriri weboka akazivisa musi wa 17 February 1942. Mazuva maviri gare gare, vaJapan vakaputitsa mabhombaDarwin, Northern Territory; Hely akaparadzira chinyorwa pakutanga kwemwedzi unotevera kune vose vaitungamirira pamusoro pezvidzidzo zvakadzidzwa kubva pakurwisa. Akatumirwa kuDarwin muna Chivabvu kuti ajoine North-Western Area dzimbahwe semukuru mukuru wevashandi vemhepo, uye akapihwa chinzvimbo chenguva pfupi chekaputeni weboka muna Ndira 1943. Hely akadzokera ku RAAF Headquarters muna March kuti ave Mutungamiriri weAir Staff Plans. 