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1 Canadian Special Wireless GroupPage2(a) - Accolades and Downers! |
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1 Canadian Special Wireless GroupPage2(a) - Accolades and Downers! |
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The following is a copy of a letter from MajGen CH Simpson, The Signal Officer-in-Chief (COS), Australian Military Forces to LtCol HDW Wethey, Officer Commanding No. 1 Special Wireless Group.
Headquarters,
Victoria Barracks,
Melbourne, S.C.1,
2 February 1946.
Dear Lieut-Col. Wethey:
On the eve of your departure from Australia, I desire to take the opportunity of wishing you, your officers, non-commissioned officers and men "bon voyage", to thank you for the invaluable assistance you have rendered to the Australian Corps of Signals and to congratulate all ranks of your unit for the high standard of efficiency demonstrated by them throughout their tour of duty in Australia.
At the time of the arrival of Canadian Special Wireless Gp. in this country, the Australian Corps of Signals was fully extended in providing and maintaining the network of essential communications throughout the vast areas of the South West Pacific theatre. At this time insufficient Australian Signal personnel were available for communication work of an intelligence nature, and without the assistance of your unit, the communication service urgently required by Allied Forces in the South West Pacific Areas for intelligence purposes could not have been provided.
I am extremely grateful for the splendid assistance rendered by the canadian Special Wireless Group in (this) respect, and I feel that the results of the work performed by your unit in no small measure contributed towards achieving final victory.
The victory we have just achieved was due in no small measure to the co-operation between the Allied Nations. The co-operation between Canada and Australia must rank high in that scale if the co-operation between your unit and the Australian Corps of Signals can be taken as a criterion.
Your unit must be complimented on the high standard of its work. Your men must be complimented on their bearing, turnout and the exemplary manner in which they conducted themselves whilst on leave in our cities. My sincere wish to all ranks of Canadian Special Wireless Group is that you have a safe and pleasant trip home and that success will be with you in whatever calling you choose to follow when your demobilization is completed. I trust that your short stay in our country, despite the emergency of the times, has been as pleasant to you as it has been to we of the Australian Corps of Signals. I would be grateful if you would promulgate the contents of this letter to all ranks of your unit, and through you I wish the Canadian Corps of Signals every success in the future.
Yours Sincerely,
(signed)
(C.H. Simpson)
Signal Officer-in-Chief
Lieut-Colonel Wethey, 1CSWG was the only Canadian Army unit during WW2 that was authorized to wear the shoulder patch of another country. NDHQ sent a message to 1CSWG authorizing them to wear the patch in the same place they would wear a Canadian Divisional Patch (on both sleeves and just below the shoulder). Unfortunately given the distance and unusual nature of the request from 1CSWG, permission didn't come until 1CSWG was on board a troopship and on the way home. However, the CO and CSM of 1CSWG were thinking ahead and had brought an adequate supply of patches (with them). 1CSWG personnel were ordered to get out their needles and "put 'em up".
Canadian Special Wireless Group,
c/o CSO NSW L. of C. Area
from CFS Leitrim
The following letter to 1 Canadian Special Wireless Group, upon their arrival home 26 Feb 46 was written by the COS Western Command on behalf of the Director of Signals, Ottawa.
HQ 15-1-1 (Sigs) 1/32
Department of National Defence
Army
Headquarters Western Command,
Vancouver, B.C., 25 Feb 46.
To All Ranks
No.1 Special Wireless group R.C. Sigs.
On behalf of the Director of Signals, Ottawa, it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you home to Canada. Reports received indicate that your work in Australia contributed greatly towards the successful operations against the Japanese which have been terminated in victory. You are to be congratulated on your efforts, and now on your return to Canada I wish you future success and luck.
As a point of interest, your unit is the only Signals body to return from Overseas as a complete unit, and the only Candian Army unit to see service in the Pacific Theatre.
It was decided in order to cause you as little delay as possible in welcoming ceremonies, to give each of you a copy of this letter with a form attached giving a brief statement. In this connection the Director has asked that the perforated slip attached to the bottom of this form be returned to his office after you have considered matters carefully on your 30 days leave. We do need Signals personnel for the Continuing Army, especially for our S.W. Stations.
Again, Welcome home, have a good leave and best wishes for the future.
A.R.St. Louis, Colonel,
Chief Signal Officer Western Command.
Canadians who served with Australian and American forces in the Pacific area want to know when they will receive Pacific rates of pay.
Many of the 325 Canadian repats who arrived here from Australia Tuesday feel they are victims of discrimination.
The advance guard of radar technicians and intelligence troops, some of whom have spent nearly two years in the Pacific area, are still being paid standard rates of pay. They claim the should be paid for the Pacific services retroactively.
Some of those who served in the Pacific say they were not given a chance to become Pacific area volunteers until after V.J. Day.
The question of the men's pay was raised this week by Frank E Lennard, M.P. for Wentworth, Ontario. An army spokesman replied the question of paying the advance guard in the Pacific at the same rate as the Pacific volunteers, none of whom saw service in the Pacific area, was being reviewed.
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