Royal Netherlands Navy, Wireless Telegraphy Station, Craigieburn, Victoria

ROYAL NETHERLANDS NAVY
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY STATION
CRAIGIEBURN, VIC
DURING WW2

visits since 2 January 2005

After the Battle in the Java Sea, the Dutch navy evacuated to Ceylon and Australia. In Australia the Dutch set up a new communications radio network.

A Wireless Telegraphy station (or W/T Station) was set up by the Netherlands East Indies Navy Air Arm with the help of Australian authorities at Yuroke 5 kilometres west of Craigieburn, which is approximately 25 kilometres north of Melbourne. In July 1942 a radio link was opened with the Dutch Navy's radio station at Ceylon, HQ of Admiral Helfrich who was C. in C. of all Dutch forces in the Far East.

A teleprinter line was established from the Craigieburn W/T Station to 260 Domain Road, South Yarra, Melbourne for the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service. My research has shown that the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service had their headquarters in a building at 225 Domain Road, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria. Did they use two locations in Domain Road?

Another teleprinter line was established from Carigieburn to Wacol in Brisbane. It is known that Netherlands East Indies government officials were located at Wacol.

Dutch intelligence in Australia was NEFIS, Netherlands [Armed] Forces Intelligence Service, which was an element of Allied Intelligence Bureau. This service wanted to send intelligence parties to Java to find out what was happening under the Japanese occupation. For radio communication with these small groups of agents the naval radio station at Craigieburn near Melbourne was not suited. These parties would use small, low powered radio's to transmit their intelligence, so a forward radio-station (W/T Station) was created at Batchelor 60 miles south of Darwin.

Can anyone help me with more information
on this Dutch Radio Station?

Wireless Intercept Station, Royal Netherlands Navy, Batchelor, NT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Andre Willemsen for his assistance with this home page.