Allied Translator and Interpreter Section

By Peter Dunn OAM

The Allied Translator and Interpreter Section was established at Indooroopilly in Brisbane in 1942 with the objectives of gathering military information through:-

- interrogation of enemy prisoners

- exploitation of captured enemy documents

Its other role was to rapidly disseminate intelligence gained from documents and prisoners to Allied land, naval and air force headquarters.

Learn about ATIS interrogation techniques, their interaction with other allied intelligence units, Nisei personnel, "Tighnabruaich", "Narina", "Walella", Camp Chelmer, Gaythorne POW Camp, the Japanese POW, Seeichi Ogino, who was interrogated about 600 times, and WACs employed at ATIS. A number of b & w photos are displayed throughout the book.

The book also includes aerial photos showing details of the ATIS Camp at Indooroopilly and Camp Chelmer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Australia War
• Release date: Mar 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386048763

Peter Dunn OAM

I am a retired electrical engineer who has a passion for the history of people, places, units, and events in Australia during WWII. My research covers military and civilian activities on the Australian Home Front during WWII. I am also the owner of a very large web site called "Australia @ War".

Book preview

Acknowledgements

I would like to thanks Karen Nunan of the MacArthur Museum Brisbane for her kind assistance with information on ATIS and FELO.

I would also like to thank Rob Bagbey, whose mother 1st Lieutenant Lelia Cocke, a WAC, was the Personnel Officer at ATIS at Indooroopilly, in Brisbane during WWII.

I would also like to thank Graham McKenzie-Smith, Australia’s leading expert on the Australian Army during WWII. Graham is a long-standing member of the WA and ACT Branches of MHSA and has a special interest in the units of the Australian Army in World War 2. Richard Henry Dick Smith (NX127991) of the 9th Australian Division who found the SIO Code Books was Graham's father.

I would also like to thank Robin Trotter for his assistance with identifying the location of the house Walella which was used as ATIS’s "Combined Services Officers’ Club.

I would also like to thank Trent Telenko and Craig Bellamy from the Section 22 Special Interest Group for their kind assistance.

ATIS - the Organisation

ATIS Shoulder Patch (Photo:- Ron McMahon)

––––––––

The Allied Translator and Interpreter Section had its beginnings with the establishment of the Australian joint services unit known as the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre CSDIC. The Australian Army established CSDIC at South Yarra in Melbourne in July 1942. Its purpose was to interrogate enemy POWs and its initial activity was to interrogate captured Japanese airmen. CSDIC was based on a British model for using armed services linguists proficient in the enemy language and who were trained in interrogation techniques.

CSDIC comprised language personnel from Advanced Land Headquarters and the RAAF Prisoner of War Section. CSDIC was to involve facilities for the interrogation of prisoners and the translation of captured enemy documents.

The Army chose a property for the CSDIC at Indooroopilly in Brisbane, which was relatively remote from the public gaze. It was on 8 acres of land on the southern side of the railway line that runs across the Brisbane River adjacent to the Walter Taylor Bridge. The historic house Tighnabruaich was located on the property, which was bounded, by Coonan Street, Lambert Road, Clarence Road and the Brisbane River.

Earlier on 19 June 1942, Major David Swift brought the following linguists with him from USA:-

Arthur Komori

Arthur Ushiro (aka Castle)

William Hirashima

Sgt. Gary Kadani

Sgt. Steve Yamamoto,

Sgt. Kazuo Kawaguchi

Sgt. Paul Kuyama

Sgt. Fred Nishisuji

Sgt. Hiromi Oyama

Sgt. George Taketa

Sgt. M. Nagata

Sgt. Harold Fukuhara

Sgt. Minoru Hara

Sgt. Harold Fudenna

Swift was jaundiced from his yellow fever injection and was admitted to hospital on arrival. Sgt Kadani took charge of the group, which relocated to Melbourne where they were assigned to the American Counterintelligence Office.

On 25 August 1942, the Japanese attempted to capture the newly constructed airfields at Milne Bay at the eastern tip of New Guinea.  After a hard fight, Milne Force, assisted by the RAAF forced the Japanese to abandon their landing on 6 September and they left behind much equipment and documentation.  Later that month, the Japanese advance over the Kokoda Track was halted within sight of Port Moresby and 7th Division forced them back to the north Papuan beachheads where they were defeated in the new year.  Again many documents were captured during the retreat and the beachhead fighting.

General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area (GHQ SWPA), issued an order fifteen days after CSDIC had commenced operations, to establish the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section in Brisbane at Indooroopilly with the objectives of gathering military information through:-

Interrogation of enemy prisoners

Exploitation of captured enemy documents

Its other role was to rapidly disseminate intelligence gained from documents and prisoners to Allied land, naval and air force headquarters and other intelligence units.

ATIS was one of a number of Allied Intelligence Units that reported to General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area (GHQ SWPA):-

Allied Translator and Interpreter Section

Allied Intelligence Bureau

Allied Geographical Section

Central Bureau

Section 22

Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit

Colonel Baldwin, US Attache in Canberra oversaw the initial arrangements for the creation of ATIS. Colonel Baldwin appointed Captain George Caiger AIF as the acting officer in charge of ATIS.  Captain Caiger had been a former resident of Japan.

ATIS was to comprise linguists of all services of the Allied Nations involved in the Southwest Pacific Area SWPA. Some personnel from GHQ SWPA and the recently formed Australian CSDIC were absorbed into ATIS.

Major David Swift and his group of linguists, which had arrived in Australia in June 1942, were also assigned to ATIS. Brothers Captain Paul Aurell and Captain George Aurell of the US Army and another group of Nisei, plus a number of US Navy officers including the Bartlett brothers and Lt Charles Love and Lt. Samuel Studiford Stratton arrived at ATIS after Major Swift and his linguists.

Major Benjamin Meredith, AIF, who had been in charge of CSDIC was dismayed by the sudden decision to absorb his unit into ATIS and wrote a memo to Advanced Land Headquarters, AHLQ, expressing his objection to the decision.

Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Forrester Mashbir took over as Commanding Officer of ATIS on 6 October 1942. Mashbir reported directly to General Douglas MacArthur’s Chief of Intelligence G-2, Major General Charles A. Willoughby. Captain Caiger, who had been the acting officer in charge of ATIS, moved to become Head of the Information Section of ATIS, with Captain C. H. Reichardt as his 2nd in command. When Lt. Col. Mashbir took over as commanding officer, the strength of ATIS was 25 officers, with only 15 being linguists, and ten ordinary ranks and one civilian linguist.

Lieutenant Colonel Sidney F. Mashbir

Lt. Col. Mashbir used the upper floor of Tighnabruaich for his offices. Mashbir’s second in command was American Officer, Captain