While the first platoon of A Company was arriving at Port Moresby and getting settled in, the remainder of the battalion was speeding up construction work in Australia. Temporary camps were placed at various locations for B Company to begin work on the line from Charters Towers to Hillgrove. Long segments of the line were being completed every day as advanced camps were set up at Clarke River and Orangevale.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Building Australian lines
The Torrens and the 440th Signal Battalion arrived in Brisbane on a clear, warm winter day. The bulk of the officers and men were taken by truck to a holding area within the city limits of Brisbane while a detachment remained at the dock to supervise the unloading of their equipment. The unloading process required several days and this gave HQ Company an opportunity to catch up on records and other paper work. It was also a time for most of the battalion to rest a little.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Destination: Australia
As the Golden Gate Bridge and the California coast were swallowed by fog, the men of the 440th went below decks and began a journey of unknown length to an unknown destination.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Next stop: San Francisco
After departing Spokane on 15 June, the long troop train - loaded with men and equipment - made its way down the scenic coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. After two days of travel, they finally arrived in San Francisco and went directly to the 'Cow Palace'.
The huge building was part of the San Francisco County Fair facilities and had been used for years for the showing and judging of livestock. The men of the 440th would call this place their home for a week before shipping out. Former stalls, once used to house prize beef animals and fancy horses, had been turned into sleeping areas. Showers and laundry rooms were also available to the officers and men. The men were told that they had all the comforts of home! They had other opinions.
There was little to do other than play cards, read and catch up on some of the sleep the men had gone without during the previous three months. Some of the men took this opportunity to write home to mothers, wives and sweethearts. It was also a time for reflection and contemplation. Four-hour passes were few and most of the men resigned themselves to waiting it out. One of the young men in the battalion could practically see his family home just two miles away from the Cow Palace. Still. it remained as far away as it had while he was in Spokane. He was not allowed out on a pass.
The day they had all been waiting for finally arrived and, late on the evening of 21 June, the 20 officers and 544 enlisted men of the battalion boarded the converted Norwegian freighter MS Torrens. After finding their bunks in the crowded interior of the ship, most of the men went back up to the main deck. They stood in small clusters, smoking and talking about their possible destination. While on deck, many of the men watched the dimmed lights of San Francisco and were lost in their own thoughts about the future.
Early on the morning of 22 June, the Torrens pulled away from the dock and slowly turned toward the west. The deck was again filled with men watching the City by the Bay fading behind them. As they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, many of these young soldiers had thoughts about the prospect of never returning. Most of these men did return.
A few did not.
The huge building was part of the San Francisco County Fair facilities and had been used for years for the showing and judging of livestock. The men of the 440th would call this place their home for a week before shipping out. Former stalls, once used to house prize beef animals and fancy horses, had been turned into sleeping areas. Showers and laundry rooms were also available to the officers and men. The men were told that they had all the comforts of home! They had other opinions.
There was little to do other than play cards, read and catch up on some of the sleep the men had gone without during the previous three months. Some of the men took this opportunity to write home to mothers, wives and sweethearts. It was also a time for reflection and contemplation. Four-hour passes were few and most of the men resigned themselves to waiting it out. One of the young men in the battalion could practically see his family home just two miles away from the Cow Palace. Still. it remained as far away as it had while he was in Spokane. He was not allowed out on a pass.
The day they had all been waiting for finally arrived and, late on the evening of 21 June, the 20 officers and 544 enlisted men of the battalion boarded the converted Norwegian freighter MS Torrens. After finding their bunks in the crowded interior of the ship, most of the men went back up to the main deck. They stood in small clusters, smoking and talking about their possible destination. While on deck, many of the men watched the dimmed lights of San Francisco and were lost in their own thoughts about the future.
Early on the morning of 22 June, the Torrens pulled away from the dock and slowly turned toward the west. The deck was again filled with men watching the City by the Bay fading behind them. As they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, many of these young soldiers had thoughts about the prospect of never returning. Most of these men did return.
A few did not.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Training and thoughts of the future
After a slow road trip of more than 2,000 miles, men and equipment of the future 440th Signal Battalion reached Geiger Field, near Spokane, Washington. It was late January and the country had been at war less than two months.
Young men were joining the services at such rates that the lines formed at recruiting stations would sometimes stretch around the block!. Draftees, young recruits and men from National Guard and Reserve units from all over the United States were pouring into training camps and centers by the tens of thousands every week. The 'Texas Group', as they sometimes called themselves, set up training schedules from the moment they arrived in Washington. The group soon began to grow and within a matter of days raw recruits were filling the barracks.
Basic Training normally required 8 to 10 weeks of learning what it meant to be a soldier in the Army. The training was tough and a few did not make it. For the men who did survive the seemingly endless hours of marching, close-order drill, KP, rifle range, overnight training exercises and a hundred other skills to learn, eighteen hour days came to an end when 'Boot Camp' was finished at last and the men were sent to schools for specialized training.
Most of the men who took basic training at Geiger Field, would remain there and take additional training is some specialty within the Signal Corps. After completing another 8 to 10 weeks of training, they were ready to be placed in a battalion that would - for the most part - become their 'home' for the duration of the war. So urgent was the need in the field for men with signal skills, many were unable to return home to family for even a short leave.
There was little time for much of anything after graduation from a specialty school: men were issued orders to report to various units around the nation. For the 440th, it's total of officers and men were still not up to full battalion strength and it became necessary to fill many holes in the unit. A half-dozen officers were rushed in from the Signal Training Center, Fort Monmouth, NJ, and a large number of enlisted men were found from around the country.
Now, all the efforts of the battalion was focused on one goal: all was made ready to proceed to a west coast port for the long voyage to the Pacific war. There was, however, always time for thoughts and reflection on the future. Most of the men in the 440th were young. And with youth, comes immortality. Most of their thoughts were of home and the family, the fathers and mothers and sweethearts they had waved to from a bus or train window. Few of them had any thoughts of what could happen.
On June 15, 1942, the 440th Signal battalion boarded a long troop train and began a two day trip to San Francisco and a date with a ship.
Young men were joining the services at such rates that the lines formed at recruiting stations would sometimes stretch around the block!. Draftees, young recruits and men from National Guard and Reserve units from all over the United States were pouring into training camps and centers by the tens of thousands every week. The 'Texas Group', as they sometimes called themselves, set up training schedules from the moment they arrived in Washington. The group soon began to grow and within a matter of days raw recruits were filling the barracks.
Basic Training normally required 8 to 10 weeks of learning what it meant to be a soldier in the Army. The training was tough and a few did not make it. For the men who did survive the seemingly endless hours of marching, close-order drill, KP, rifle range, overnight training exercises and a hundred other skills to learn, eighteen hour days came to an end when 'Boot Camp' was finished at last and the men were sent to schools for specialized training.
Most of the men who took basic training at Geiger Field, would remain there and take additional training is some specialty within the Signal Corps. After completing another 8 to 10 weeks of training, they were ready to be placed in a battalion that would - for the most part - become their 'home' for the duration of the war. So urgent was the need in the field for men with signal skills, many were unable to return home to family for even a short leave.
There was little time for much of anything after graduation from a specialty school: men were issued orders to report to various units around the nation. For the 440th, it's total of officers and men were still not up to full battalion strength and it became necessary to fill many holes in the unit. A half-dozen officers were rushed in from the Signal Training Center, Fort Monmouth, NJ, and a large number of enlisted men were found from around the country.
Now, all the efforts of the battalion was focused on one goal: all was made ready to proceed to a west coast port for the long voyage to the Pacific war. There was, however, always time for thoughts and reflection on the future. Most of the men in the 440th were young. And with youth, comes immortality. Most of their thoughts were of home and the family, the fathers and mothers and sweethearts they had waved to from a bus or train window. Few of them had any thoughts of what could happen.
On June 15, 1942, the 440th Signal battalion boarded a long troop train and began a two day trip to San Francisco and a date with a ship.
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