Signals – A History of the Royal Australian Army Corps of Signals 1788 – 1947

Description

Title: Signals –  A History of the Royal Australian Army Corps of Signals 1788 – 1947

Author: Barker, Theo

Condition: Very Good Plus

Edition: 1st Edition

Publication Date: 1987

ISBN: 0731603621

Cover: Hard Cover with Dust Jacket  – 361 pages

Comments: The detailed history of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals 1788 to 1947.

Contains roll of honour & honours and awards and service records of senior signals officers.

The Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RASigs) is one of the ‘arms’ (combat support corps) of the Australian Army. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. The motto of the Signals Corps is Certa Cito and is translated as ‘Swift and Sure’, signifying the aim of the signal service – that communication be carried out with maximum speed and certainty. Like their British counterparts, the Royal Australian Corps of Signals’ flag and hat badge feature Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, affectionately referred to by members of the corps as “Jimmy” (the origin dates back to the merge with Engineers when the Engineer’s band’s Drum Major had a “Jimmy” on his staff).

Modern Army command and control systems demand reliable, high speed transfer of large volumes of data. The communications systems provided by Signals must keep pace with modern information technology. The control of the electromagnetic spectrum offers a decisive advantage in modern warfare and Electronic Warfare, listening to or interfering with enemy electronic transmissions, is a critical contribution by the Signals Corps to the Army’s combat capability.

On the battlefield Signals provides commanders with the means of controlling the battle using road and air dispatch services, radio, microwave and satellite links. A high technology computer switched digital network, capable of providing a high quality, high capacity, secure communications network is being introduced.

The Corps has recently taken over the responsibility for Army Information Systems. Signal Corps personnel now control large integrated information systems and are responsible for the installation and operation of local area networks using state-of-the art computer equipment.

Specialist roles in the Corps include: Communication System Operator (Known in the Corps as “Operators”), Telecommunications Technician (Known as “Techs” or “Techies”), Electronic Warfare Operator (Known as “Bears” from being primarily posted to a base near Cabarlah (Koala), QLD”)and Information Systems Technician (Known as “Geeks”).

Includes honours and awards as well as roll of honour.