1 Sig Regt - Royal Australian Corps of Signals

Unit Information

1st Signals Regiment

Mission

The 1st Joint Support Unit's mission is to provide CIS support and CSS to enable the commander DJFHQ to command and control assigned forces.

Role

The role of the 1st Joint Support Unit is to provide Communications and Information Systems (CIS) support and Combat Service Support (CSS) to the Commander and Staff of the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (DJFHQ) and assigned units. The level of support required, dependant on the nature of the operation, is that required to enable the operation of the DJFHQ and the Command and Control of assigned units.

Unit History

The 1st Signal Regiment was re-formed from the 1st Joint Support Unit on 4 September 2006. The name change occurred to reflect the changing role of the Unit (with a second Signal Squadron being included in 2007) and to bring it in line with the 1st Division and the Regiments orginal role of providing communications to the 1st Division.

This is the second time the Unit has been called the 1st Signal Regiment, with the first time being prior to the 1st July 1997. On this day the Unit changed to the 1st Joint Support Unit after it was re-organised to include all CIS support, administrative support, and technical support to the Headquarters 1st Division.

The 1st Signal Regiment had the proud distinction of being the first regular Divisional Signal Regiment raised in the history of the Australian Army. It was justifiably titled 'The Premier Regiment'.

Although the Regiment wasn't first formed until 1st June 1960, the Regimental history can be traced back to the 1st Australian Divisional Signal Corps of the 1st AIF and the 1st Australian Divisional Signals of the CMF.

At the outbreak of World War 2 a number of officers and soldiers of the 1st Australian Divisional Signals (CMF) joined the 2nd AIF and were part of the 6th Australian Divisional Signal Regiment. The Regiment fought during the campaign in Greece when at one time it operated on the slopes of Mount Olympus. The lines occupied by the 1st Signal Regiment were named Mount Olympus Lines to provide a link to that time.

Although these links with the past existed, the foundation for the history of the 1st Signal Regiment lies in October 1945 on Moratai when the Australian force for the occupation of Japan was raised. As part of this force, the 34th Signal Section (later to become the 1st Signal Regiment) was raised. The Section sailed for Japan on 26th January 1946 and was established in the Kure/Hiroshima area. In mid 1948, the 34th Brigade returned to Australia and was stationed at Puckapunyal in Victoria. Between 1948 and 1955, the Section was reformed as the 1st Infantry Brigade Signal Squadron. It remained in Puckapunyal where it was used as a training platoon for field signals, assisted in training battalion signal platoons for service in Korea and carried out many communications and civil assistance tasks.

Early in 1958, the squadron moved from Puckapunyal to Holsworthy with the 1st Infantry Brigade. Coinciding with the unit's official birthday on 1st June 1960, the Squadron was reformed into the 1st Divisional Signal Regiment under the command of Headquarters 1st Division and Occupied the accommodation at G Block Ingleburn Military Camp.

The Regiment was re-organised and commenced forging closer ties with Headquarters 1st Division. In re-organising, the Regiment increased from two to three squadrons, with no significant increase in manpower.
The 1st Signal Regiment has dispatched unit members in support of several overseas operations, including: Multi-national Force Observers to the Sinai (MFO); United Nations operations in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Somalia (UNISOM), former Yugoslavia (IFOR), and Guatamala (MINUGUA); and more recently, PNG Famine Relief operation (PLES DRAI), and the Bougainville Truce Keeping and Peace Keeping Forces (BEL ISI).

The title of the unit was subsequently changed to 1st Signal Regiment in 1965, although it remained as the Divisional Signal Regiment for the 1st Division.
With the dispatch of the 1st Australian Task Force to South Vietnam, the 1st Signal Regiment was made responsible to raise, train and dispatch overseas the 103rd Signal Squadron. The Squadron provided communications for the 1st Australian Task Force in the Nui Dat area during the first year of Australian involvement. The Squadron returned from South Vietnam to Ingleburn in May 1967. The unit was then tasked to prepare and dispatch RASigs reinforcements from within the Regiment, for service in South Vietnam.

On 10th November 1968, the Regiment was honored by the City of Campbelltown with the granting of Freedom of the City. The Regiment exercised its right to march through the city every year until it moved interstate to Enoggera.
On 30 May 1981, the 1st Signal Regiment was offically opened at Enoggera Barracks.

The Regiment's support to Headquarters 1st Division evolved to include all communications and information systems support, administrative support and technical support. To reflect this evolution, on 1st July 1997, the 1st Signal Regiment was re-organised and re-titled the 1st Joint Support Unit, however it again found its roots in 2006 and its name changed back to 1st Signal Regiment - The Premier Regiment.