right Wireless Set No 38 Courtesy www.louis@wftw.nl WS38 were used by Rifle Company HQs to their three platoons, Carriers HQ to their four sections of LMG carriers, Mortar HQ to their six 3-inch Mortars, Anti-Tank HQ to control their six 6-pounder anti-tank guns. It was a pouch transceiver, weighing 10 kg, range 7·3-9·0 MHz. It had five valves, two of these shared between transmitter and receiver. Equipped with a very simple tuner arrangement and operated by throat microphone; speech range up to two miles but no facility for morse. The battery was carried in a separate satchel. Like all wireless sets operating in contact with the enemy, its rod aerial was conspicuous and attracted enemy fire.

Signals Procedure and Security

Signallers and officers using the Battalion wireless net had to conform to rules about maintaining security and observing signal procedure. Code-signs always had to be used when referring to formations, units and sub-units. Also, the following code-names:

Sunray when linked with a call-sign would indicate whether Battalion or Company Commander; or in conversation My Sunray or using Sunray Minor when indicating the second-in-command.

Map reference codes had to be used if they referred to our own troops but not when referring to the enemy; enemy locations were sent uncoded. Map reference codes had not to be linked with identifiable objects like named villages, woods, rivers and other geographical features; indeed, it was axiomatic that any position known to the enemy must not be referred to in code.

Conversations on the wireless net were best kept short and pre-arranged code-words used, i.e.; Orange = ..... Village, Green = road clear. In 1943 a code for use in messages and conversations was introduced. Slidex consisted of a set of subject specific cards printed in a grid layout with words and short phrases appropriate to the subject, together with letters and numbers.  Each cell of the table was identified by a two-letter bigram from 'slides' along the top and down one side, on the same principle as giving a map reference.  

Basic signal procedure for the conduct of wireless conversations had to be followed for the uncomplicated operation of the battalion net. Over when a reply was expected; Out for end of transmission; Wait (usually meant a pause for a few seconds); Say Again for a repeat of the transmission; Wilco meant will co-operate and message understood and will comply; and Roger indicated the message received and understood.

It was a general rule that no one station should be on the air longer than a minute. All unwritten messages or conversations taking longer had to be broken into portions of about a minute. An example: Hello L2 message for L1 sending a one-minute segment and ending with Roger so far L2 to L1 over. The receiving station acknowledges in reply L1 Roger over. The transmitting station continues message or conversation saying Hello L2 and ends the message with Over, acknowledged with the reply L1 Roger out.

Officers required to speak on the set followed that same procedure. Hello L1 fetch Sunray L1 over. Signaller replies Hello L1 wait out. When officer is at the wireless set Hello L1 Sunray listening over.

Signallers were trained in signal security and made aware that whenever they spoke into a microphone they could be speaking to the enemy. When using radio telephony and morse conversations signal operators had to cut out unnecessary chit-chat and avoid using non-standard procedure which enemy listening stations could associate the identity of your net and relate this to your battalion. Nicknames of signal operators were an easy giveaway to labeling a net. Intelligence could be gathered by the enemy's intercept operations listening for chat to assess unit morale ('we have a had a bad night') or about the weather or hints about wounded or casualties, shortage of stores and ammunition, or dropping the hint 'something big is coming up'.

Signallers had to be mindful, too, that the enemy employed direction-finding (DF) systems. The longer you were on the air the greater the opportunity for the enemy to pick up your frequency, its directional antenna searching until it could detect your best signal. This technique enabled the direction finder to pin-point your location with an accuracy to less than one degree wrong. This information could be used to direct artillery fire on to your headquarters, a visit from enemy bombers (Stukas) or a fighting patrol equipped with flame-throwers raiding your HQ.

Wireless Logs were kept at every Station. It was a daily diary recording events, like changing frequency, switching to morse and to note details of all messages on the net whether they applied to your station or not.