1st Australian & New Zealand Wireless Signal Station

AWM JO1991

Protesting Soldiers in Bombay March 1919

Brief History

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.