1st Australian & New Zealand Wireless Signal Station

AWM JO1991

Protesting Soldiers in Bombay March 1919

Brief History

The 1st Australian Wireless Signal Squadron was a unit of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which served in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during World War I. Formed in late 1915, it took part in the Mesopotamian Campaign from 1916 to 1918, providing communications to British forces. Later, elements of the squadron served as part of Dunsterforce in 1918 and 1919, and in Kurdistan in 1919. The unit was also known as the 1st Wireless Signal Squadron and 1st Australian and New Zealand Signal Squadron.

Five members of the unit died during WW1, all due to illness.

The top photo taken in 1919 depicts D Troop, 1st Australian Wireless Signal Squad which had replaced its horse-drawn wagon with a lorry type W T Station, with 1 1/2 kilo plant mounted on a Daimler lorry. They were based at Baqubah on the river Diala, 33 miles (55 km) north east of Baghdad where it was the chief control station for the force.

The second photo taken on 5 Mar 1919, Bombay, India, depicts members of the 1st Wireless Signal Squadron, Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, staging a short `mutiny' beside a train to Deolali during demobilisation. They were protesting against the decision not to grant them any leave in the city but to move them on in poor accommodation to a country station. After a number of hours they yielded to the orders.

Unit Personnel

• Arthur Reginald Barrett 16 Nov 1918 - 4 Nov 1919

Individual Honours

1 x Member of the British Empire 1 x Distinguished Conduct Medal 1 x Military Medal 4 x Meritorious Service Medals 30 x Mentioned in Despatches

Notes

Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of Wikipedia and the Australian War Memorial websites.