Signal Division (Royal Navy)

Last updated
Signal Division
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Division overview
Formed1914
Preceding Division
Dissolved1964
Superseding agency
Jurisdiction Government of the United Kingdom
HeadquartersAdmiralty Building
Whitehall
London
Parent department Admiralty Naval Staff

The Signal Division [1] was a Directorate of the Admiralty Naval Staff responsible for policy, control and management of all naval communications from 1914 to 1964.

Contents

History

In 1906 the Admiralty set up a Signals Committee to initially investigate signaling between Royal Navy vessels and Merchant Navy vessels, [2] in 1914 the Admiralty War Staff had established an expanded Signal Section [3] to deal with all shore to ship communications following the abolition of the war staff function. The Signal Division was established on the 18 August 1917 [4] the divisions primary role was for receiving and sending signals to ships at sea and stations ashore, but also for the coding or cyphering of the signals. In September 1919 the division was renamed the Communications Division [5] until 1927 when it was again re-styled Signal Section still within the Naval Staff until 1941 when it reverted to Signal Division, it continued as a component part of the Naval Staff until 1964 when the Admiralty Department was abolished and replaced by a new Navy Department within the Ministry of Defence.

Responsibilities

As of August, 1917: [6]

Directors of Division

Included: [7]

First World War

Director Signal Section

  • Rear-Admiral Sydney R. Fremantle, September, 1914 – July, 1915.
  • Captain Christopher R. Payne, January, 1916 – May, 1917.

Director Signal Division

  • Captain Edward M. Phillpotts, August, 1917 – December 1917.
  • Acting Captain Richard L. Nicholson, January, 1918 – November, 1919.

Interwar

Director Communications Division

  • Captain Rudolf M. Burmester: November 1919-April 1920
  • Captain Henry K. Kitson, July, 1921 – February, 1923.
  • Captain Raymond Fitzmaurice: February 1923-February 1925
  • Captain James F.Somerville: February 1925-February 1927

Director Signal Section

  • Captain Charles E. Kennedy-Purvis: February 1927-March 1930
  • Captain James W.S.Dorling: March 1930-April 1932
  • Captain Arthur J. L. Murray: April 1932-September 1934
  • Captain Guy W.Hallifax: September 1934-October 1935
  • Captain W. Tofield Makeig-Jones: October 1935-September 1937
  • Captain Philip F. Glover: September 1937 – 1939

Second World War

Director Signal Division

  • Captain Philip F. Glover: September 1940 – 1941
  • Rear-Admiral Cedric S. Holland: March 1942-November 1943
  • Rear-Admiral Vaughan Morgan: November 1943-October 1945
  • Captain John R.S. Haines: October 1945-April 1947

Post War

Director Signal Division

  • Captain Gilbert R. Waymouth: April 1947-September 1949
  • Captain Ralph G. Swallow: September 1949-December 1951
  • Captain Roy S. Foster-Brown: December 1951-February 1954
  • Captain Alwyn D. Lenox-Conyngham: February 1954-November 1955
  • Captain Robert F. T. Stannard: November 1955-November 1957
  • Captain Christopher A. James: November 1957-November 1959
  • Captain Edward T.L. Dunsterville: November 1959-March 1960
  • Captain W. John Parker: March 1960-November 1961
  • Captain John R.G. Trechman: November 1961-January 1965

Deputy Directors of Division

Included: [8]

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References

  1. Smith, Gordon; Watson, Graham. "British Admiralty, Shore Establishments, Fleets and Station, World War 1". naval-history.net. Gordon Smith, 23 July 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  2. Mead, Cdr. Hilary P. Retd. R.N. (1957). "Centenary of the International Signal Book". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. 102 (607): 334–338. doi:10.1080/03071845709419207.
  3. Hammond Hall, William Palmer; Ingram, Thomas Allen; Price, E. D. (1 January 1917). "The New Hazell Annual and Almanack,Volume 32". Oxford University Press, p.710. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  4. Archives, The National. "Admiralty Signal Division: History: Docket entitled "Division of Responsibility for Wireless Telegraphy Work."". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1936, ADM 116/3404. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  5. Brooks, John (Dec 6, 2012). Dreadnought Gunnery and the Battle of Jutland: The Question of Fire Control. Routledge. p. 266. ISBN   9781135765545.
  6. Archives, The National. "Admiralty Signal Division: History: Docket entitled "Division of Responsibility for Wireless Telegraphy Work."". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 1936, ADM 116/3404. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. Mackie, Colin. "Senior Royal Navy Appointments from 1865" (PDF). Gulabin. Colin Mackie, p.55, January 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. Mackie, Colin. "Senior Royal Navy Appointments from 1865" (PDF). Gulabin. Colin Mackie, p.55, January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.

Attribution

Primary source for this article is by Harley Simon, Lovell Tony, (2017), Signal Division (Royal Navy), dreadnoughtproject.org, http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org.

Sources