"Leave without pay" the story of the AWA telegraphists in the Second World War.

At the end of 1941, with the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, one of the pressing needs for the Australian forces was long distance communications, especially in the Far North. Prior to the war, wireless telegraphy support at Port Darwin, Port Moresby and Thursday Island had been provided to defence by a civil firm, Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Pty Ltd, or AWA. AWA had been formed in 1913 by a merger of the Australian Wireless Company, Telefunken and Radio Marconi Australia. The merger had been forced by a protracted series of legal disputes between the three firms, which had the dual effect of degrading Australia's wireless communications and causing large financial losses for the three protagonists.

On behalf of the Australian government, AWA took over the Coastal Radio Service (CRS), which had stations around Australia and in the Territory of Papua. The Department of the Navy took over the 19 existing stations at the outbreak of World War One and operated them using AWA staff. Control of the CRS passed to the Postmaster General's Department in 1920, with AWA still providing the telegraphists. AWA offered a scheme to the government in 1922 whereby it would build and operate, on behalf of the Commonwealth, a network of stations capable of maintaining direct, unrelayed wireless communication with the UK, Canada and South Africa. The scheme was accepted and AWA became the monopoly controller of wireless communication in Australia as it still controlled the CRS and the Island Radio Network.

By the outbreak of the Second World War, besides the CRS and the Beam Wireless Service (overseas commercial/government wireless and radio communications), AWA's major activity was the Island Radio Service. Between 1913 and 1939 AWA had established three networks in Fiji, the Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea. The A.W.A. radio station at Suva in Fiji handled overseas traffic to Great Britain and Europe, via the Australian Beam Service, and also maintained communications with stations in Samoa, Tonga, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides and Hawaii. Suva Radio also maintained internal communications in Fiji via links with three other AWA controlled stations in Fiji at Labasa, Savu Savu and Taviuni.

In the Territory of Papua, AWA's main station was located at Port Moresby. This station maintained communications with Samarai, in Papua, plus Thursday Island, and the Australian stations at Cooktown and Townsville. In addition, AWA maintained and managed the links for a private station at Popo, on the Anglo-Persian Oilfields.

Finally, AWA maintained an extensive network in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea. The chief station was located at Bita Paka, near Rabaul, on the island of New Britain. This station maintained direct radio communication with the AWA Radio Centre, Sydney. In addition, the station maintained constant communication with AWA owned stations at Aitape and Madang, on mainland New Guinea; Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands; Kavieng on New Ireland; Kieta on Bougainville; Marienberg Radio on the New Guinea Oilfields, and Bulolo and Salamoa on the New Guinea Goldfields. The Rabaul Station also communicated with the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the Santa Cruz Islands.

This was the situation at the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941. Although the Fiji based network remained intact and unmolested, and continued to provide a vital communications service throughout the Pacific, it was a different story in Papua and New Guinea. As the Japanese thrust south into the Mandated Territory, AWA began to lose its stations. In some cases, staff managed to destroy equipment before it could fall into enemy hands. In others, however, lack of coordination and direction from above saw vital facilities fall into enemy hands. By the middle of 1942, AWA had lost all of its stations in New Guinea and the private station at Poro had been closed. Thus AWA was only maintaining its stations at Port Moresby, Samarai and Thursday Island.

We turn now to the status of the AWA staff remaining in Papua. Papua was under military government and the Army wanted all civilians out of the territory. On the other hand, it also wanted to maintain solid communications with Australia and within the territory. For this it needed, in the short term anyway it seemed, to keep the AWA staff on. Faced with this dilemma, the Army solved it in typical fashion by enlisting the AWA operators into the AMF and then immediately sending them on leave without pay so that they could continue with their civilian tasks! This occurred on 9 July 1942. Shortly thereafter, the RAN approached the Army and pointed out that as the navy would be AWA's main "customer" in the forthcoming campaign, then it was improper to have the operators serving in the Army. Thus, the doubtless by now somewhat bemused AWA operators in Port Moresby found themselves discharged from the Army and enlisted into the RANVR (Unmobilised Pool) and again immediately sent on leave without pay!

Obviously on something of a roll, the navy carried out the same action with AWA staff on Thursday Island on 7 August 1942 and then did the same with the staff in Darwin on 26 November. It was on this latter day that the navy finally decided to advise AWA in Sydney what the navy had been doing with its staff in the north! The Secretary of the Department of the Navy advised the Chairman of AWA what the navy had done and advised that "the enrolment of these men in RANVR will afford them some protection in the event of their becoming prisoners of war." It was nice of them to give a reason. The Secretary also advised the Chairman that Navy would continue to pay AWA the set charges for W/T services. Finally, AWA was advised that "the enrolled men are to be considered as on leave without pay and it is desired that your company will continue payment of wages to these men as heretofore." To its credit, AWA accepted this fait accompli without any fuss and continued to make good the men's wages.

Also, on 26 November, the navy decided to tell the navy what had been done! In a signal to Port Moresby, Thursday Island and Darwin, the relevant Naval Officer's in Charge (NOIC) were informed that AWA telegraphists operating W/T stations in their areas were to be attested and enrolled nominally in RANVR. Since all AWA telegraphists had already been enrolled at this time, the Secretary's signal to the NOICs was obviously a "tidying up of loose ends" exercise. The OIC of each W/T Station was to be appointed to the honorary rank of Warrant Telegraphist, RANVR, and the staffs were to be rated and enrolled as CPO Telegraphists as an honorary rate. The appointments and enrolments were to merely nominal, ie, personnel would not be mobilised but would remain in the unmobilised pool after being examined medically, attested and issued with a partial tropical uniform. They would continue to be paid by AWA. The fact that they were in uniform and were members of the RANVR was intended to afford some degree of protection in the event of their becoming prisoners of war. The results of medical examinations were to be recorded on Form RANR60. Words--'on mobilisation' were to be deleted from the form and duplicates sent to Navy Office. Appointment of Warrant Telegraphist to be done on Form RAN8a. Enrolment of CPO Telegraphist to be done on RANR6. Attestation would be for 2 years or duration of War and 6 months thereafter whichever longer. Naval Tropical Uniform issued consisted of:

a. 1 peaked cap, badge and 2 Khaki covers;

b. 1 helmet and cover; 2 Khaki shirts;

c. 2 Khaki shorts; and

d. 1 pair shoulder straps for WOs.

On 16 February 1942, the Secretary advised NOIC Port Moresby of the official numbers issued to the RANVR AWA telegraphists in his area. NOIC Thursday Island had to wait until 10 April 1943 to receive the same information for the AWA telegraphist in his area. NOIC TI was obviously somewhat concerned about the fairly irregular method of recruiting and administering AWA staff and queried Navy Office on what was to be done in the event of transfers of AWA staff between Port Moresby, Thursday Island and Darwin. In reply, he was informed that if transfers occurred between Moresby, Thursday Island and Darwin then RANVR documents were to be also transferred. However, if AWA staff were transferred south, out of the forward area, then the relevant documents were to be sent Navy Office as if the staff member had retired from the RANVR Very tidy!

The NOICs obviously continued to find the irregular status of the AWA personnel somewhat vexing. On 5 October 1943, NOIC Port Moresby signalled Navy Office with a recommendation that the telegraphists be mobilised. In its response on 13 October, Navy Office informed NOIC that Board Instructions of 26 November 1942 were to be strictly adhered to and that "not to be mobilised" was mandatory. That same day, in response to an earlier query, NOIC TI was advised that AWA telegraphists were to be treated as naval personnel for the purposes of vaccinations and inoculations.

The next problem that arose for the NOICs was the status of AWA telegraphists as "returned men" on transfer out of the operational area. Although nominally enrolled into the RANVR, the telegraphists remained employees of AWA and the firm was quite at liberty to transfer men as it pleased. The problem of the status of telegraphists posted south was raised with Navy Office in October 1943. But it was not until 25 November that a response was received advising NOICs that AWA telegraphists returning south would be issued with Service Certificates RANR2s with the date of discharge given as the date they left for the south.

While all of this administrative toing and froing had been going on in the background, the AWA telegraphists had, of course, continued with their job of maintaining communications.

6 Apr 1945 A/DNC recommended that steps be taken to have AWA telegraphists revert to their pre 1942 status at Moresby, Thursday Island and Darwin. He emphasised these men had not been paid by the Navy nor mobilised nor subject to Naval Discipline. As the areas were still Army commands recommended their concurrence be obtained. On 22.09.45 Army stated they had no objection (622/202/4223).

20 Oct 1945 Secretary advised NOICs:

1. Personnel operating AWA Radio Stations at Port Moresby. Thursday Island and Darwin shall resume their pre 1942 status as civilians carrying out official business on behalf of their company.

2. Such personnel are to be discharged from the RANVR as from 1st October 1945. Certificates of Service RANR2 will be prepared at Navy Office and used for this purpose.

3. Medical examination of each member is to be carried out on Form AM146z. If any member claims a disability due to or aggravated by service whilst a member of the RANVR a second Medical Officer of Navy, Army or Air Force, as available, should assist in the examination and compilation of the Form.

4. I am to state that Medical History Documents of personnel concerned are to be forwarded to the Director of Naval Medical Services (622/202/4223)