Australian Corps of Signals 100th Anniversary – the ASD Connection
Produced in collaboration with the Australian Signals Directorate.
One hundred years ago on 14 February 1925, Australian Army Order 71 established the separate Australian Corps of Signals from Signal Engineer units of the Citizen Forces.
On 10 November 1948, His Majesty King George VI conferred the title ‘Royal’ on the Australian Corps of Signals in recognition of the Corps’ service throughout World War II (WWII). November 10 is now synonymous with the Corps, heralding the start of Corps Week celebrations.
Since World War II, ASD (and our predecessor organisations) has maintained a close association with both the Australian Corps of Signals and the Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RA Sigs).
While RA Sigs encompasses a wide range of communications activities, the roles of Operator Special Wireless, Operator Signals (OPSIG – Employment Category Number (ECN) 273), and now Operator Electronic Warfare (OPEW – ECN 663), have a direct link to ASD.
During WWII, the Australian Special Wireless Group (ASWG) served with distinction throughout the South West Pacific Area of operations, providing valuable intelligence in support of Allied operations in the area. This continued post-WWII, and to the present day, with the establishment of 101 Wireless Regiment in 1947, the subsequently renaming to 7th Signal Regiment in 1964, 7th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) in 1989, and finally, in 2002, once again to 7th Signal Regiment.
Australian Special Wireless Group
The ASWG can trace it origins to No. 4 Australian Special Wireless Section (ASWS), part of the Second Australian Imperial Force during WWII. No.4 ASWS saw operational service in Greece, Crete, and Syria, before returning to Australia after Japan’s entry into the war. Prior to returning to Australia in March 1942, British SIGINT operators had instructed members of No. 4 ASWS in Japanese Kana Morse.
On return to Australia, they became the nucleus of the ASWG, established as a signals intelligence group on 18 May 1942 at Bonegilla, Victoria, where instructions on Kana Morse continued.
Due to the operational requirements of war, there were not enough men available for signals work. To allow the release of more men for operational duties in forward areas, the then Defence Minister, Sir Percy Spender, approved the formation of the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) on 13 August 1941. This saw women recruited into signals, specifically for service in the ASWG. Men and women completed the same operator training before joining an ASWG unit. By August 1942, 270 AWAS personnel were part of ASWG.
AWAS personnel provided a significant contribution to the ASWG, serving as intercept operators, communications operators (such as the Garage Girls), and in some cases, cryptanalysts and linguists.
Initially with a compliment of 13 officers and 250 other ranks, ASWG had a war establishment of 1,000 personnel. By the end of WWII there were over 4000 personnel serving in the ASWG, including eight operational field units (ASWS). Two of the ASWS (56 and 58), consisted, almost exclusively, of AWAS personnel. Between 1942 and 1945, ASWG units operated in Victoria (Ferny Creek, Bonegilla and the Mornington Peninsular), the Northern Territory (Alice Springs, Adelaide River area, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Groote Eylandt and Darwin), Perth, Exmouth, Broome, Brisbane, Townsville, New Guinea and Indonesia.
Throughout WWII, ASWG units provided valuable early warning and tactical and strategic intelligence in support of Allied forces in the South West Pacific Area with a focus on Japanese Army and Navy air communications.
Significantly, two members of No. 4 ASWS would play an important role during WWII, and in one case, beyond. They were then Captain Mic Sandford, who would play a leading role within Central Bureau throughout WWII as the Assistant Director, and Sergeant Ralph Thompson, who would command ASWG’s 51 ASWS, and post-war become DSB/DSD’s longest serving Director General (1950 – 1977).
101 Wireless Regiment
In 1952, as part of the Australian Observer Unit, a detachment of Australian Army Signals Operators from 101 Wireless Regiment deployed to the British Far East Station in Singapore. Known as No. 1 Detachment, 101 Wireless Regiment, and based at the CHAI KENG No. 2 Wireless Station, Seletar.
Comprising one Officer and eight Other Ranks, their role was to assist the search for Malayan Communist transmissions. By the end of 1952, staffing had increased to five officers, ten other ranks with an additional 15 other ranks attached to the General Headquarters Signal Regiment.
On 18 May 1953, the detachment deployed to Frazer’s Hill, Malaya. It would be over two years (on 19 October 1955), however, before Australian Army ground forces (2 Royal Australian Regiment) deployed to Malaya. Overall, the Regiment deployed to five locations in Malaya. Although the Frazer’s Hill site closed in 1954, deployments to other locations continued.
By May 1955, Army had 30 operators in Singapore/Malaya. A detachment of an additional six operators deployed from Singapore to Malaya in 1956 to search for and collect Malayan Communist Party communications.
It was also during the Malayan Emergency, when, in October 1953, the operators received a change to their official title from Operator Special Wireless to OPSIG.
Only a few years after the Malaya Emergency, 101 Wireless Regiment was again deployed overseas. This time for Konfrontasi – the conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia, taking place mainly on the island of Borneo. A proposal for the formation of a Malaysian Federation in September 1963 comprising Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo, did not sit well with Indonesia. By early 1963, there were growing fears that Indonesia would seek to interfere, either overtly or covertly, with the process.
In May 1964, at the request of the British Government, Australian SIGINT personnel deployed to Borneo. Australian authorities authorised an establishment of 38 personnel, primarily based at Labuan with a small detachment at Kuching. The first Army operators, referred to as 221 Signals Troop, were in situ at Labuan by June 1964. The final authorised establishment was for 97 personnel.
With the prospective signing by Indonesia and Malaysia of the Bangkok Accord, plans were already in place by mid-1966 for the withdrawal of the Australian Army SIGINT unit from Borneo.
Barely had their commitment to Konfrontasi finished, the now 7th Signal Regiment, found itself once again deploying operationally – this time to Vietnam. In 1966, Prime Minister Harold Holt announced an increase in Australia’s contribution to the defence of South Vietnam. A signals intelligence support unit – 547 Signal Troop (part of the 7th Signal Regiment) – deployed to Vietnam on 1 April 1966 – a deployment lasting over five years, until 23 December 1971. Their task was to intercept enemy (Viet Cong) communications, and identify and locate enemy radio transmitters through direction finding from airborne and ground-based facilities.
A significant part of the deployment was 547 Signals Troop’s role in the Battle of Long Tan (on the night of 16/17 August and during the day of 18 August 1966). The unit had intercepted a significant increase in enemy radio traffic late July/early August suggesting a build-up of enemy forces in the area. The intercepts enabled 547 Signals Troop to track the movement of these forces towards Nui Dat.
On the night of 16/17 August 1966, the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) base at Nui Dat was attacked by mortar fire. 547 Signals Troop continued their work through the mortar attack, providing valuable information to Australian ground forces and airborne direction finding elements as the battle progressed. This included information on enemy positions, which helped the airborne direction-finding asset refine their search areas.
Information from 547 Signals Troop was noted as being, in many cases, the only reliable intelligence for 1ATF, providing a significant contribution to the successful outcome of the battle. The commanding General of the US 9th Infantry described 547’s contribution as “… outstanding” and noted their professionalism.
Long Tan, one of the largest battles fought by Australians in the Vietnam War, remains a defining moment in Australia’s military history.
547 Signal Troop started out as a small team of 15 Australian Military Forces personnel deployed to Nui Dat. Personnel numbers grew to 35 by the end of 1967, establishing itself as a leading Direct Support Unit in the overall effort in Vietnam.
7th Signal Regiment
Today, the 7th Signal Regiment continues the work of its predecessors, having seen operational service in various locations overseas, including peacekeeping duties under the umbrella of the United Nations. More recently, the Regiment has provided support to Australian forces in Timor Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Personnel from the 7th Signal Regiment have worked closely with ASD since WWII and continue today to provide a valuable contribution to ASD’s provision of support to Australian Defence Force operations around the globe.
Summary
For ASD, OPEW personnel continue to provide a valuable service to national security. The professionalism, dedication to the task and an ability to provide a high standard of work under all circumstances has not waivered since WWII.
The role of women has continued to be an important contributing factor. WWII saw an influx of women into the ASWG (by the end of WWII, approximately 75 percent of the ASWG were women). This contribution continues, with women comprising 9.4 percent of today’s OPEW personnel. United Nations activities in East Timor in 1999 saw the first deployment of a female OPSIG to an operational area.
Sources:
National Archives of Australia: NAA: A10908, 2
ASD History – Declassified: ASD Declassified | Australian Signals Directorate
Australian Special Wireless Group, AIF, Australian Army in Australia during WW2 7 Jan 25
Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) | Australian War Memorial 7 Jan 25
Australian War Memorial, Private Record: “101 Wireless Regiment: The Malayan Emergency, 1951-1960”, by Robert (Bob) Hartley and Barry Hampstead | Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial: AWM95, Item Number 17/4/3
Unclassified History of 547 Signals Troop in South Vietnam
David Dufty, The Secret Code Breakers of Central BureauP