"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
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1st Australian Light Horse Signals Troop, Roll of Honour Topic: AIF - 1B - 1 Sig Trp
1st LH Sig Trp, AIF
1st Australian Light Horse Signals Troop
Roll of Honour
Poppies on the Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
The Roll of Honour contains the names of all the men known to have served at one time with the 1st Light Horse Signals Troop and gave their lives in service of Australia, whether as part of the 1st Light Horse Signals Troop or another unit.
Roll of Honour
Harold Alexander LETCH, Killed in Action, 22 August 1918.
Herbert Victor MASTERS, Died of Accident, 15 April 1918.
Lest We Forget
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Steve Becker who provided much of the raw material that appears in this item.
1st Australian Signal Troop, Page 1 Topic: AIF - 1B - 1 Sig Trp
1st Australian Signal Troop, AIF
History
Below is a transcription from a manuscript submitted by by Major R. Smith called 1st Australian Signal Troop. This is Page 1.
Formation of Troop in Australia, training in Egypt and work on Gallipoli at Anzac and Helles.
On August the 19th 1914, all the members of the 10th and 21st Signal Troops and 26th. Coy who had volunteered the requisite medical examination were ordered to report at Street Barracks, South Melbourne where they were attested and sworn in. Then the men were drafted into the 1st Signal Troop, that is men who under the Compulsory Training Act had previously served in the 3 units mentioned above.
The C.O. Capt. E. W. Downing ( late 21st Sig. Troop ) took command and the N.C.0's were chosen from the above units, and the 2 Wireless Sections which had been used for training at the annual camps.
August 20th:
The Troop moved by train to Broadmeadows where 14 O.R.'s from the Signal Engineers Sydney, joined us, and camp was made and the personnel drafted to the various sections which comprised the Troop i.e. Signallers, Telephone Sections, wireless Sections, Motor Cyclists and Cyclists, 4 drivers and 1 shoeing smith. Fortunately the whole personnel of the Troop were men who had been trained previously in the Compulsory Trainees and the usual Squad Drill and :routine to which a raw recruit must be subject, was not necessary and skeleton schemes were organised and carried out in the vicinity of Donnybrook, Sydney Rd., Deep Creek and Euroka. All of which helped to bring the Troop up to its high standard of efficiency and stood all members in good stead in the months which followed.
It was not until we had been in camp for, 2 weeks that we were issued with our horses and then all members put through a riding test and those who were a little uncomfortable taken in hand and taught horse management. The wireless sections were worked hard and were brought to a very high standard of efficiency creating a record for erecting station in 3 minutes which has not yet been beaten.
Our period of training in Broadmeadows lasted 2 month; and we embarked at Victoria Docks 20/10/17 [20/10/14, ed.], sailed to Egypt the Karroo the voyage taking 7 weeks owing to the waiting at various ports for coaling provisions etc. (Ports) Albury, [Albany, ed.] Colombo, Aden, Suez and Alexandria.
During the voyage it was impossible to carry out training to a very great extent owing to the number of horses we had to look after.
The whole morning was taken up in the cleaning of the horse deck and the afternoons in exercising the horses which was done by walking each animal around the horse deck for 20 minutes and it proved worth while for we only lost one horse for the whole voyage and that from pneumonia.
1st Australian Signal Troop, Page 2 Topic: AIF - 1B - 1 Sig Trp
1st Australian Signal Troop, AIF
History
Below is a transcription from a manuscript submitted by by Major R. Smith called 1st Australian Signal Troop. This is Page 2.
Formation of Troop in Australia, training in Egypt and work on Gallipoli at Anzac and Helles.
December 7th 1914:
Disembarked at Alexandria and entrained for Cairo where we, arrived at 1600, then after men and horses had been rested and here we commenced training again and competitive tests held in all branches of the unit.
Occasionally we established communication with the Signal Coy who were at Mena and who used to set up a Helio Station on the Pyramids while ours was established on one of the many houses in Maadi.
January 1915:
Moved by road from Maadi to, Heliopolis where Brigade training was carried out, in the manner of skeleton schemes around Zeitoun and El Marg and then afterwards in sham fights against the N. Z. Bde in the same area.
On April 1st, the 2 Wireless Sections with pack horses and minus their riders, 6 Signallers under Sgt. Masters and the C.O. were ordered to proceed to Alexandria for embarkation and they left Heliopolis at 0700 next morning and entrained at Cairo.
The remainder of the Sig. Troop was then commanded by Lt. J. Bell, who was previously Automobile Officer on 1st Bde H.Q.
May 7th 1915:
Bde ordered to proceed to Alexandria to embark for Gallipoli where we arrived on 12th May. We then found that the 2 wireless sections under Capt. Downing were at Helles operating with the navy and R.F.C, while the 6 sigs. under Sgt. Masters were doing duty as Signallers on transports. On arrival at Anzac the Bde. moved up to Monash Gully and established H.Q. opposite Steels Post.
The Signal Troop took over the existing system of communications and commenced relaying lines and duplicating others where they became cut by shell fire.
Two sappers were detached for duty with the 21st Kiwat Indian Mountain Battery which used to fire on to Razor Back. These two Sappers worked the Telephone Station by themselves for 6 days working 2 hours on and 2 off and on the 18th May we were joined by a Signaller from the 3rd Regt. On the same day while out repairing lines 1 Sap, was wounded and was taken into the Indian Hospital in Shrapnel Gully and he would not go away but rejoined us after 4 days. The work fell very heavy on us through lines being cut etc and from the afternoon of the to that of the 22nd we had practically no sleep.
An armistice was declared for 3 hours on the 22nd and we took the opportunity to make all lines aerial wherever possible and to remove others from exposed positions.
The Troop at H.Q. were extremely busy having 28 buzzer lines and 4 magnetos these had to be looked after by 2 sappers per shift.
The 4 magneto lines were connected to H.Q. positions and were direct lines, 1 to Steels post, 1 to Quinn’s, and 2 to Courtney's Post. All lines were inspected daily by linemen and the instruments by the Troop Mechanic and through this precaution it was seldom that anything went wrong other than the lines being cut by Artillery fire or by some enterprising Billjim for use on his bivouac.
The bivouac area was in a saucer formation just off the main sap and very well protected by high banks, however one shell exploded in the Cook house and wounded 4 men, 1 seriously. Another man was wounded in the head whilst drawing water in Shrapnel Gully and 1 other by a shell which fell close to the Signal Office.
1st Australian Signal Troop, Page 3 Topic: AIF - 1B - 1 Sig Trp
1st Australian Signal Troop, AIF
History
Below is a transcription from a manuscript submitted by by Major R. Smith called 1st Australian Signal Troop. This is Page 3.
Formation of Troop in Australia, training in Egypt and work on Gallipoli at Anzac and Helles.
It was not unusual for bombs (thrown from a catapult) to land and explode on the roof of the Sig. office, also at the sides but they seldom had any effect owing; to the thickness of sandbags of which the office was built.
The general health of the personnel was good, however great demand for Keatings Powder.
By the end of June a complete new system of lines had been laid and wherever exposed, ladder systems and circuitous routes were adopted then the old and defective wire removed, all lines were labelled and little difficulty was experienced in keeping up communication or tracing any lines which were faulty.
The phones used to give a good deal of trouble being the old MK 2 pattern and the buzzers were continually working out of adjustments and it was imperative that buzzers should be used as much as possible both for reason of speed in transmission and secrecy.
The work between Bde and Divn who were on the beach was carried out by sounder and at our end by N.Z. Operators which took all the Divn work for the No.3 Sector off our hands.
May 21st 1915.
N. Z. Sig. Troop took over our Sector and from this onward it was worked week about which allowed everybody a decent rest, plenty of time for washing clothes etc. The office instruments were not changed at all but those of the N.Z. Troop were kept at hand so that an exchange could be made if any instrument want wrong also wire and other signal gear, was kept at hand in case of emergency.
May 23rd 1915.
Saps Burrell, Wills and Ward were relieved on the Indian Battery Station and rejoined 1st Signal Troop. Saps Aspinal, Smith and Power detached to 21st Indian Battery.
May 24th 1915.
Capt. Downing returned from Cape Helles and resumed command of the 1st Signal Troop. Lt. J. Bell rejoined B.H.Q.
HISTORY OF THE WIRELESS SECTIONS AFTER BEING DETACHED FROM 1st SIGNAL TROOP.
Entrained at Cairo and proceeded to Alexandria arriving there that afternoon and proceeded to camp at Gabbari.
The following morning instructions were given for all Members to hold themselves in readiness to embark for Lemnos where preparatory training would be carried out for the participation in the lending on Gallipoli, we were ordered to embark the same day on the Paros (6,000) which had been owned by a German Coy before the war.
We left the same evening and sailed at 8 knots per hour which seemed quite restful after the rush and bustle we had previously experienced.
It took 9 days to do the trip, the first 3 days of which was very rough. About noon on the 11th April we arrived at Lemnos Harbor, slowed down, exchanged signals with a minute French Torp Boat and then proceeded through the Torpedo nets which stretched across the harbor, eventually anchoring near Mudros West.
Here we went ashore and made camp about 1/2 mile from the Town. Training in Naval procedure was commenced immediately under the tuition of W/O Button of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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