12 SIGNALS UNIT, TOWNSVILLE (RAAF)
FORMERLY TOWNSVILLE W/T STATION
DURING WW2

visits since 25 February 2002

Townsville W/T Station was formed on 10 September 1942. Around that time, about 372 WAAAF Signals personnel had been posted to north Queensland. Townsville W/T Station comprised:-

- a Signals Office
- 2 Transmitting Stations
- a Remote Receiving Station
- a Shadow Signals Office

My assumption is that it was in the same building where North Eastern Area HQ was located in what is today called the Commonwealth Building.

The new WAAAF personnel were housed at WAAAF Barracks at St. Anne's Church of England Girls School and St. Patrick's (Cathloic) College on The Strand.

Layout of the Signals Office
in the North Eastern Area HQ

Townsville W/T Station became known as 12 Signals Unit from 29 December 1942.

	(D) Personnel at Radio Table looking from Sturt Street towards Flinders Street
	(D) AR7 Emergency Receiver set up on Radio Table
	(C) A Recording Machine on table (similar to a type of gramaphone)
	(D) Radio Communications table with WAAAF and RAAF personnel
	Note the message tubes up to the ceiling
	(B2) Teletype machine
	(B) Teletype and Teleprinter table with landline table (3) in background
	(B1) Teleprinter Machine
	(F) Emergency A47 Receivers used when Remote Control went out of action
	(E) Distribution of messages in air tubes throughout the whole building
	(A) WAAAF in Messages Sorting Office
	One of the trucks used to transport personnel from the Grammar Camp to the North Eastern Area HQ building in Sturt Street
	WAAAF staff from one of four shifts who lived at Grammar Camp and worked in North Eastern Area HQ building on the top floor
	RAAF staff from one of four shifts who lived at Grammar Camp and worked in North Eastern Area HQ building on the top floor
	Some RAAF personnel at the Grammar Camp who worked in North Eastern Area HQ building on the top floor
	White huts for the WAAAF's located at the Grammar School Reserve with the Sports Reserve in the background. The RAAF huts for the men were amongst the trees. Landsborough Street runs between the Grammar School and Yarrawonga.

Townsville W/T Station was staffed by 140 RAAF personnel and 241 WAAAF personnel. The Cipher Section had a separate staff of 16 Officers (RAAF) and 204 other ranks (RAAF) and 13 Officers (WAAAF) and 32 other ranks (WAAAF).

A number of signals personnel who were based at North Eastern Area Headquarters at Sturt Street, Townsville were used to form 12 Signals Townsville (RAAF).

On Saturday 27th March 1943 at approximately 0512 hours Douglas DC3 (C-47) VH-CTB, A65-2 (A30-16) of 36 Squadron, Townsville, was involved in a fatal accident at Archerfield. The crew of four were killed as were all passengers consisting of 17 Australian and 2 American personnel. Thus a total of 23 personnel were killed. Amongst those killed were two members of 12 Signals, Townsville.

LAC Charles Paton Eric Fly
LAC Terrence Joseph Kelly

Aircraftwoman Enid Atherton of Mackay, Qld, was a member of No. 12 Signals Unit RAAF. Enid lived at the Strand Barracks. For a photo of Enid Atherton go to Negative No. VIC1061 on the Australian War Memorial Photograph Database site.

Can anyone tell me more about 12 Signals Unit, Townsville?

Where were the 2 Transmitting Stations, the Remote Receiving
Station,  and the Shadow Signals Office located?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thanks Lorna Grasswell (nee Mittelheuser) and Joan Archibald (nee Hatfield) and Mary Hilbig (RAAF Museum Garbutt) for their assistance with this home page.

BOOK REFERENCES

"The WAAAF in Wartime Australia"
by Joyce Thomson

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

This page first produced 25 February 2002

This page last updated 23 June 2002