Description
Description: Royal Australian Corps of Signals – Opposing Collar Badge Pair – circa 1960s.
Maker’s Name: N/A
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Royal Australian Corps of Signals – Opposing Collar Badge Pair – circa 1960s – Bi-metal.
Complete with two pins.
The Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RASigs) is one of the ‘arms’ (combat support corps) of the Australian Army. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. The motto of the Signals Corps is Certa Cito and is translated as ‘Swift and Sure’, signifying the aim of the signal service – that communication be carried out with maximum speed and certainty. Like their British counterparts, the Royal Australian Corps of Signals’ flag and hat badge feature Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, affectionately referred to by members of the corps as “Jimmy” (the origin dates back to the merge with Engineers when the Engineer’s band’s Drum Major had a “Jimmy” on his staff).
Modern Army command and control systems demand reliable, high speed transfer of large volumes of data. The communications systems provided by Signals must keep pace with modern information technology. The control of the electromagnetic spectrum offers a decisive advantage in modern warfare and Electronic Warfare, listening to or interfering with enemy electronic transmissions, is a critical contribution by the Signals Corps to the Army’s combat capability.
On the battlefield Signals provides commanders with the means of controlling the battle using road and air dispatch services, radio, microwave and satellite links. A high technology computer switched digital network, capable of providing a high quality, high capacity, secure communications network is being introduced.
The Corps has recently taken over the responsibility for Army Information Systems. Signal Corps personnel now control large integrated information systems and are responsible for the installation and operation of local area networks using state-of-the art computer equipment.
Specialist roles in the Corps include Operator Bearer Systems (Parakeet operators & Riggers also known in the Corps as “Linies” or “Riggers”), Operator Specialist Communication Systems (Radio operators, also known as “Chooks”), Information Systems Technicians (Known in the Corps as “Geeks”, who manage and maintain computer networks, network devices, servers and peripherals) and Electronic Warfare operators (also known as “bears”), and finally Technician Telecommunications Systems (“Techs”) responsible for maintaining and fault finding all items of electronic telecommunications equipment, mainly Parakeet gear.
