Stewarty54
HMS Anderson Signals Intelligence station in Ceylon
HMS Anderson Signals Intelligence station in Ceylon
The Far Eastern Combined Bureau (FECB) was responsible for collecting naval intelligence in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Since it had few if any agents in place, in practice this intelligence gathering was limited to radio direction finding and an attempt to decrypt signals.
On 5 January 1942 the Naval Section of the FECB was evacuated from Singapore, with the loss of much equipment, including a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Type B Cipher Machine, and all of its documentation. The FECB effectively dissolved from that moment, and the loss of the documents has helped to wipe its few achievements from memory.
In January 1943 about half the former FECB naval staff reassembled at its new headquarters in the Anderson Golf Club house, just outside Colombo, and took the name HMS Anderson. They were joined by a group of fledgling cryptanalysts fresh from training in Bletchly Park, among whom was my father. The other half of the FECB staff was established in the Alidina school in Kilindini outside Mombasa, becoming HMS Alindina.
In the autumn of that year the Hut 7 team in Bletchley Park was given more time on the Block C Hollerith equipment to work on Japanese navy material.
In September the cryptanalysis based at Kilindini were moved to HMS Anderson, where they were joined by more cryptographers from the UK and by WRNS responsible for radio direction
My father John Izat served as a cryptanalysist at HMS Anderson
HMS Anderson Signals Intelligence station in Ceylon
HMS Anderson Signals Intelligence station in Ceylon
The Far Eastern Combined Bureau (FECB) was responsible for collecting naval intelligence in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Since it had few if any agents in place, in practice this intelligence gathering was limited to radio direction finding and an attempt to decrypt signals.
On 5 January 1942 the Naval Section of the FECB was evacuated from Singapore, with the loss of much equipment, including a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Type B Cipher Machine, and all of its documentation. The FECB effectively dissolved from that moment, and the loss of the documents has helped to wipe its few achievements from memory.
In January 1943 about half the former FECB naval staff reassembled at its new headquarters in the Anderson Golf Club house, just outside Colombo, and took the name HMS Anderson. They were joined by a group of fledgling cryptanalysts fresh from training in Bletchly Park, among whom was my father. The other half of the FECB staff was established in the Alidina school in Kilindini outside Mombasa, becoming HMS Alindina.
In the autumn of that year the Hut 7 team in Bletchley Park was given more time on the Block C Hollerith equipment to work on Japanese navy material.
In September the cryptanalysis based at Kilindini were moved to HMS Anderson, where they were joined by more cryptographers from the UK and by WRNS responsible for radio direction
My father John Izat served as a cryptanalysist at HMS Anderson