First C.S.O.s staff; They blazed the trail; 7th in Syria

Major General C H Simpson CBE, MC, VD, Signal Officer-in Chief AMF

FIRST C.S.O.s STAFF

The staff arrived at Gaza and set out to organise the reception of other Signals units which were arriving to augment those portions of Signals I Aust. Corps and Signals 6 Aust. Div. already there. Provision for training sufficient Signals reinforcements was guaranteed by the establishment of the A.I.F. (M.E.) School of Signals and the Middle East Signals Training Battalion. Both were ready well ahead of schedule.

The Organisation carried out by the C.S.O. and his staff at Gaza between October 1940 and the following February formed the basis of the efficient Signals framework which was to serve the A.I.F. forces while in the Middle East theatre of war. just before H.Q. I Aust. Corps moved out to take part in the first desert campaign, A.I.F. (M.F.) Base Area Signals came into existence and became the framework for the A.I.F. training and staging areas in Palestine. While at Gaza, Capt. D. Boden joined the C.S.O. as Staff Learner.

As the lines of communications for the desert campaign rapidly extended, it was necessary to move as many as possible of the available Australian Corps of Signals in the Middle East to the desert to supplement the over-taxed British Signals Corps. and 6th and 7th Divisional Signals were all represented in the move. H.Q. I Aust. Corps arrived in Cyrenaica to take over from 13 British Corps just after the enemy had been pushed back after the tank battle south of Benghazi and became responsible for the El Aghella defensive position. The C.S.0's staff became engaged in its first operational role. Another point of historical interest was the fact that elements of Signals I Aust. Corps were under the operational control of the C.S.O. for the first time.

After one month in Cyrenaica the Corps was selected to command 6 Aust. Div. and the New Zealand Division for the campaign in Greece, consequently 9 Aust. Div. relieved 6 Aust. Div. at El Agheila. The complete unit of Signals I Aust. Corps, less the Artillery Signals personnel and two sections attached to Signals 9 Aust. Div., was then placed under orders to move to Athens.

Major Veron was promoted to command Signals 9 Aust. Div. and Capt. Bruton was appointed as Major S.O. Signals H.Q. A.I.F. (M.E.). Major R. W. Savage and Capt. Boden were then appointed as Assistant C.S.0s.

During the Greece campaign, Major E. Agar of the New Zealand Corps of Signals also joined the staff as an assistant to the C.S.O. The staff was called upon to carry out a role which entailed the preparation of Signals instructions every day or two up to the evacuation. The C.S.O. and his Staff did not come out of the situation unscathed as, out of a total of twelve all ranks, only five arrived on Crete. While on Crete, Capt. Boden became one of the party responsible for the disembarkation and the clearance of troops arriving from Greece from the Suda Bay dock area. Major Savage became responsible for the rear details of H.Q. I Aust. Corps and arrived back at Gaza two weeks after the main body. The C.S.O. was decorated with the C.B.E. for his outstanding work in the campaign.

Orders were next received for the C.S.0's staff to move to northern Palestine to take over the duties of C.S.O. Exporter Force in which 7 Aust. Div. was to play its part in the occupation of Syria. Two weeks prior to the campaign, the C.S.O. set up his office at Nazareth and began the immediate planning of communications. This was the first time in Signals history that an Australian C.S.O. took over the technical direction of British Corps Signals. The renowned 13 Corps Signals remained under the direction of the C.S.O. I Aust. Corps till August 1941. This campaign cemented a long-standing friendship with the British Signals units.

After the occupation had been completed, the C.S.O. met with a serious accident that incapacitated him for four months. During his first week in hospital he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and so became the first Australian Signals officer to attain that - rank while holding the appointment of C.S.O. Lt-Col. J. L. McKinlay was appointed to be Acting C.S.O. while Brig. Simpson was absent. During his illness, the C.S.O. visited Australia and arranged for an increase in the efficiency of the training of Signals reinforcements. 011 his return to the Middle East, H.Q. I Aust. Corps received warning orders to move to the Pacific to meet the Japanese threat. To the C.S.0's staff was added Lt-Col. D. Veron to co-ordinate the planning of the new campaign.

After preliminary planning, the C.S.O. and Lt-Col. Veron boarded the Empire Airways flying boat at Tiberias and left for Java. Major Boden followed by sea with the remainder of the staff and met the C.S.O. at Colombo after the movement of Advanced Corps H.Q. from Java to Colombo when the holding of Java became no longer possible. From then on, the C.S.O. and his staff were occupied with plans for the future. The C.S.O. of an Australian Corps became the first Australian Signals officer to rise to the rank of major-general and the appointment of Signal Officer-in-Chief at the same time.

THEY BLAZED THE SIGNALS TRAIL

The unit began its initial training at Ingleburn. Inoculations, vaccinations and the first exercises were pushed through at high speed. On the 15th of December, the advance party of three officers (Capts Nadebaum, Hooker and Brown) and three sergeants (Tribolet. Roberts and Caspersonn) sailed from Melbourne. This party arrived at Kantara, Egypt, on the 10th of January 1940 and proceeded to Haifa where it was attached to a British Signals formation until the arrival of the rest of the unit. Meanwhile, back in Australia, the remainder participated in the march of 6 Aust. Div. through Sydney in December 1939. At Ingleburn, the troops were given short periods of leave over Christmas and the New Year. On the 5th of January 1940, Lt-Col. Stevens addressed the 173 personnel who were to constitute the "first flight" and these troops sailed five days later under Major J. J. Eather.

Time at sea was not wasted. Physical training, buzzer practice, guards, and fatigues kept everyone occupied. In addition the unit assisted in the visual communications between the ships in the convoy. It is interesting to recall that, on

arrival at an Eastern port, a large Japanese liner was beflagged to greet enemies of the future. On arrival in the Middle East, the unit went straight to Palestine camps. Two days after arrival, a Signals Office was established at Qastina. On the 4th of April 1940, Lt-Col. Stevens (back in Australia) was promoted to brigadier and Lt-Col. Eather became Commanding Officer of the unit in the Middle East.

The remainder of the unit left in Australia embarked for overseas on the 4th of  May under the command of Major S. Jones. Italy's entry into the war was responsible for the diversion to England of this force.

On arrival there, this portion of the unit lost its original identity and became known as Signals Australforce. Meanwhile in Palestine detachments of Signals 6 Aust. Div. manned wireless sets at various points on the coast. Their duty was to report all aircraft and, if possible, identify enemy planes. These aircraft observation posts were called "bird stations". The unit was depleted in strength and about 340 personnel were required to fill the vacancies. These were supplied from battalion and regimental Signals. After two months of intensive training and manoeuvres, a move made to Egypt in anticipation of Wavell's offensive in the Western Desert. im November the 19th Brigade moved Burg El Arab, about twenty miles from Alexandria.

In December 1940, British troops expelled the Italians from Egypt. The fall of Sidi Barrani was followed by a tank battle in the region of Buq Buq and the enemy retreated through Sollum and Fort Capuzzo to his defences at Bardia. On the morning of the 17th of December, the 16th Brigade with "J" Section Signals took up positions on the Bardia perimeter. H.Q. and No. 1 Company, less "C" Section (which moved with the division's cavalry regiment to Siwa), arrived at Sidi Barrani on the evening of the 19th of December. Preparation for the celebration of Christmas had been made and when the move was ordered the Christmas poultry was cooked and carried. It was eaten cold just beyond Mersa Matruh. The first battle casualty was sustained when an Italian hand grenade, carelessly handled, exploded and injured one man.

On the morning of the 21st of December, the unit pulled out from Sidi Barrani  and after passing through  Buq Buq and Sollum arrived at Fort Capuzzo via Halfaya Pass. Advance Divisional H.Q. was set up just inside of the border of Libya, forward of the Italian hospital buildings, while Rear Division remained just outside the wire in Egypt. Advance H.Q. was established first in a truck and later in a large underground cistern. Christmas was spent quietly, except for air raids and spasmodic artillery duels but the Signals Office staff was kept very busy. At 0510 hours on the 3rd of January, the barrage opened and the Battle for Bardia began. 

The initial assault was made by the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion. H.Q. moved into a gap in an anti-tank ditch. It was here, while directing his section, that Capt. W. L. Stewart, O.C. "J" Section, was killed at approximately 0800 hours. In the meantime, "B" Section detachments under Lieut. H. L. Thompson had built a trunk line for the brigade down the Capuzzo-Bardia Road and tied it in direct to Division. This, the shortest route, had been previously unusable because of heavy machine-gun fire. Lieut. Thompson was awarded the Military Cross for his work here and in other sectors of the Bardia front.

Two days later final resistance was overcome. In this battle Signals had laid 126 miles of cable. Signalmen T. H. Neeman and A. Hammond of "K" Section were awarded Military Medals for carrying on their work as wireless operators while under fire. The attack on Tobruk was similar to that of Bardia. It involved a wide flanking attack calling for 150 miles of cable between division, brigades and Artillery regiments. While laying cable, Cpl K. Clift and Signalman Bruce and McKeague of "J" Section captured a battery of enemy field guns protected by machine guns. 

They were moving ahead of advancing troops and on topping the rise stumbled right on to the Italians. Armed with two pistols, a rifle and a few grenades the line party immediately attacked and the Italians surrendered. These three men captured the guns and approximately ninety enemy. Clift received the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Bruce and McKeague each the Military Medal.

 

Derna, Benghazi and Agedabia

The enemy rearguards then retreated towards Derna and put up little resistance even there.  The 19th Brigade pursued  the enemy towards Barce where a temporary hold-up was caused by the Italians blowing up the road through the pass. This was successfully detoured and the pressure was maintained through El Abiar and on towards Benghazi which fell on the 7th of February. Meanwhile, the British 7th Armoured Division moved cross-country via Mekili to Agedabia, 200 miles south of Benghazi, where Italian resistance had ceased. 

The speed of the advance and the confusion of troop locations can be gauged by the fact that a "B" Section detachment while laying cable from El Abiar was overtaken by forward assault troops of the 19th Brigade some five miles south of Benghazi. While working with a wireless detachment from "A" Section attached to the 16th Brigade, Cpl Cheetham was awarded the B.E.M. This award was not announced until the unit returned from Greece and he was then a prisoner of war. Three weeks later, 6 Aust. Div. was relieved by advance parties from 9 Aust. Div. The unit then returned to Egypt to be re-equipped.

 

Move to Greece

On the 1st of April, Signals 6 Aust. Div. sailed for Greece on the Holland-Amerika liner Pennland, which was  afterwards sunk during the evacuation. Arriving at Piraetis the unit was met by Capt. Hooker who had preceded the main body with a reconnaissance party and transport. Divisional H.Q. was eventually established at Perdikka, covering the Florina Gap into Yugoslavia. It was here that the unit had its first experience of using P.L. to forward troops. Luckily it was a success for, when the withdrawal was ordered, all forward trunk lines were joined on to the civil P.L. and the D.VIII cable was recovered.

All civil communications used by the Army were destroyed. At Perdikka the forward exchange for the Artillery was manned by "D" Section under difficult circumstances and the operators were later recommended for awards. While the 19th Brigade was holding a defensive, position at Kozhani, Cpl. Duncan, in charge of an "A" Section wireless detachment, showed great bravery in operating his set while wounded. He was awarded the Military Medal.

 

Retreat and evacuation

Divisional H.Q. retreated to just south of Larissa but German armored troops  broke through near Larissa,  cutting off the 16th Brigade which was compelled to take to the hills. The division then moved back to the Thermopylae Pass, leaving the 19th Brigade as rearguard in the Domokos area. H.Q. was established at Brailos. While in this area, Lieut. R. Howard, O.C. of "H" Section, attached to an anti-tank regiment, was killed during an attack by enemy aircraft. Shortly afterwards the
Greek Government capitulated and it became necessary to evacuate. All Signals were grouped under the command of the 2/1st Australian M.G. Battalion for evacuation purposes. The bulk of the unit embarked at 0330 hours on the 28th of April via destroyers on to the waiting transports. The convoy moved at 0400 hours and from dawn onwards was under constant air attack by Dornier "Flying Pencils". Defensive action by the escorting destroyers was supplemented by the fire of an average of ninety automatic weapons operated by the troops on each transport.

 

Losses in Crete

The largest of the three transports finally foundered after a near miss. Two destroyers drew alongside and embarked the troops over the bulwarks. Of the 2,700 troops transferred twenty-nine members of the unit were among this number-there was only one casualty, caused when a man slipped when stepping on to the destroyer. The destroyer then turned towards Crete while the remainder of the convoy proceeded to Alexandria. Disembarking at Suda Bay, the small party was met by Lt-Col. Wellman, Capt. Greville and Lieut. Ibbotson, who with "J" Section had been cut off north of Larissa. They had taken to the hills and escaped down the cast coast of Greece using various means of transport, including potato boats, and were eventually evacuated to Crete from Argos. Signals 6 Aust. Div. personnel on the island then totalled eighty-four. Later the 19th Brigade and its Signals section arrived.

and Crete numbered seventy-five, mostly prisoners of war. Signals 6 Aust. Div. arrived in Palestine some days later to find a fresh nucleus already organised under Major C. L. Southwell. Between June and August 1941, the unit concentrated for reorganisation and re-equipping. At the end of a month the total equipment consisted of a few telephones, an exchange, a few miles of cable and two wireless sets. The only transport was a water truck which had arrived too late to be sent to Greece.

Towards the end of June, the 17th Brigade moved out for Syria under the  command of 7 Aust. Div. Being the first section to move. it was fully equipped to the detriment of the remainder. "H" Section moved with the 2/1st Anti-tank Regiment and took part in the latter stages of the Syrian campaign. About the middle of July, "K" Section, which had taken part in the battle of Damour and then moved through Beirut to Tripoli, changed over with "J" Section. The division relieved at Baalbeck the 6th British Division which then became known as the 70th Division and relieved 9 Aust. Div. in Tobruk.

Towards the end of December, "C" Section rejoined the unit for the first time since the original move into the Western Desert with the division's Cavalry regiment which had participated in the siege of Giarabub. Early in January, advance parties of a British division arrived at Baalbeck and rumors of a return to Australia began to flow. The division returned to Palestine, and embarked on the 12th of March. The Middle East chapter of Signals 6 Aust. Div's history had closed.

"Line in, Sir!"

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