CHAPTER 10
TRAINING
Preview. TRAINING OF OFFICERS
: The School of Signals/MCTE – Young Officers Course – Technical Courses –
Refresher & Functional Course s– Foreign Courses (Officers) – EDPS Courses –
Cipher Courses. TRAINING OF JUNIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS & OTHER RANKS :
No. 1 Signal Training Centre – Foreman of Signals Course – Recruits Training
– Upgrading & Remustering Courses – Foreign Courses (JCOs and NCOs) – No. 2 Signal
Training Centre – Boys Regiment. CONCLUSION.
Preview
The Indian Signal
Corps School Pakistan Independence School
of Signals Army Signal
School Poona School
of Signals Independence School of Signals college of Telecommunication Engineering
The
Signal Training Centre was established at Jubbulpore
(now Jabalpur Wellington Independence Jabalpur Bangalore Pakistan Jabalpur Goa and Jabalpur Jabalpur Jabalpur Goa .
The
STCs are responsible for providing basic training to recruits and technical
training to all categories of tradesmen, except ciphers. It also conducts
re-mustering and conversion courses for OR, as well as refresher and functional
courses for JCOs. The Signals Records, Depot and Boys Regiment form part of 1
STC.
The growth of the major training
institutions of the Corps - MCTE and STCs – is covered in this chapter. Details
of major courses conducted in these institutions from 1947 to 1972 have also
been dealt with. Courses conducted abroad and in other institutions have been
mentioned briefly. Some details about Signals Records, Depot and Boys Regiment
have also been given, though these do not strictly fall with the definition of
training.
TRAINING
OF OFFICERS
The School of Signals/MCTE
During World War II,
several establishments were created to train officers of the Indian Signal
Corps. These were the Telecommunication
School Agra Communication Security School Inter-Communication
School Signal Officers
Training School Indian Signal
Corps School 1 October 1946 , with Lieutenant Colonel H.L. Lewis, Royal
Signals, as the first Commandant. The
original charter of the school included training of officers commissioned into
Signals after passing out from the Indian
Military Academy
At the time of Partition, the ISC School Pakistan 27 October 1947 ,
handing over to the Deputy Commandant, Major I.D. Verma, who was promoted
lieutenant colonel, taking over as Officiating Commandant. On 26 June 1948 the ISC School School
of Signals
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The HQ Squadron was designed to
provide administrative and logistic cover for the school; No. 1 Squadron was
responsible for the training of young officers; No. 2 Squadron conducted
training in wireless and line subjects and No. 3 Squadron was responsible for
training of cipher personnel. All squadrons were commanded by majors.
It was soon realised that existing
organization was inadequate to meet the increasing commitments which the school
was being called upon to undertake. In August 1949, the establishment was revised.
Squadrons were redesignated as companies, of which a large number were created.
These were grouped under two wings, responsible for basic and advanced training
respectively. 
The
reorganization provided for a separate demonstration section, a pamphlets and
translation section and a methods section which were under the school
headquarters. The wing commanders of No. 1 and 2 Wings were upgraded to
lieutenant colonel on 1 April
1951 .
In
July 1953 the establishment was again revised. The Army Signal
School Poona School
of Signals
By the end of the decade it became evident
that the increased training commitments of the school necessitated another
review of the establishment in order to maintain the instructional and
administrative efficiency of the organisation. A new organization was therefore
proposed with a view to provide a more appropriate rank structure to the
faculty and administrative staff commensurate with their responsibilities and
duties; overcome the inadequacy of administrative staff; and reduce the load on
instructors.
The salient features of the revised
establishment implemented in 1961 were as under:-
·
The Commandant was
upgraded to the rank of brigadier.
·
No. 1 and 2 Wings were
re-designated as Tactical and Technical Wings.
·
Cipher Company which
previously formed a part of No. 2 Wing was organized as a separate wing under a lieutenant
colonel/major.
·
No. 3 Wing was
re-designated as All Arms Wing under a lieutenant colonel.
The
establishment sanctioned in 1961 once again proved inadequate to meet the
increasing commitments of training and administration of the School of Signals China Madras Poona 30 June 1963
a total of 140 officers were commissioned directly from the School of Signals
Another
major development was the creation of the Advisory Board for the School of Signals College
of Military Engineering College of Military Engineering
As
a result of the large scale expansion and reorganisation programme undertaken
in the wake of the 1962 war, the strength of the Corps more than doubled,
increasing from 1000 officers and 27,000 JCOs/OR in 1962 to 2500 officers and
62,000 JCOs/OR in 1966. Besides this
increase the Corps had undergone a process of modernization. Both these factors increased the training
commitments of the School. On 1
October 1967 the School
of Signals
In 1968 the establishment of the
MCTE was once again revised. The salient
points of this revision were as under:-
·
The Technical and
Tactical Wings were redesignated as Faculty of Communication Engineering (FCE)
and Faculty of Combat Communications (FCC) under colonels as faculty commanders.
·
The Demonstration
Brigade Signal Company was placed under FCC.
·
The Technical
Maintenance & Technical Administration (TM & TA) Wing was made responsible for the technical
maintenance of all equipment in the college and design and production of training aids.
·
Equipment and
Quartermaster Wing was created to centralize all aspects of quartermaster
duties both technical and general.
REVISED
ESTABLISHMENT OF MCTE (1968)
Training
in electronic data processing systems (EDPS) which was earlier being conducted
at the Government Computer Centre, New
Delhi
During
the 1971 war with Pakistan
By
the end of 1972, several changes had taken place in the Corps of Signals. After
the issue of General Staff Policy Statement 76 concerning Plan AREN in December
1968, developmental work in regard to hardware had already commenced. The plan to switch over to the pattern of
communication envisaged in Plan AREN had been finalized and it was appreciated
that personnel of the Corps would have to be trained on the modern electronics
technology and techniques used in the new family of equipment. The Corps had also been entrusted with the
responsibility of planning, organizing and manning of electronic data
processing system (EDPS) for the Army.
Electronics Warfare (EW) was one of the responsibilities of the Corps
and there was need to build up competence and capability in the college to
impart training in this sphere also.
Accordingly, a fresh proposal was drawn up to include the following on
the establishment of the college:-
·
A Faculty of Studies to
be created.
·
An EW Wing to be part
of the FCC.
·
Upgradation of the EDPS
Wing to Faculty of Computer Technology.
·
Re-designation of the
Cipher Wing as the Faculty of Cryptology.
·
Upgradation of All Arms
Wing to a faculty.
Many of these changes were implemented after 1972
and have therefore not been covered in detail in this chapter. However, in the
first 25 years of its existence, first as the School of Signals
·
Signals
Officers Courses
o
Young Officers course.
o
Signal Officers Degree
Engineering course.
o
Signals Junior
Commanders Course.
o
Signals Company
Commanders Course.
o
Senior Signals Officers
Course.
o
Signal Officers
Advanced Telecommunication Engineering.
·
Signals
NCOs Courses (Supervisory)
o
Foreman of Signals
Course.
o
Yeoman of Signals
Course.
·
Upgrading
Courses (Instruction)
o
Radio Mechanics Class
1.
o
Line Mechanics Class 1.
o
Telegraph Mechanics
Class 1.
·
Cipher
Courses
o
Basic Course.
o
Upgrading Course.
o
Refresher courses
(Officers and JCOs).
·
All
Arms Courses
o
Regimental Signal
Officers course.
o
Regimental Signal
Instructors course.
·
EDPS
Courses
o
Programmer and Systems
Analyst course.
o
Fortran Language
course.
o
Plan AREN Orientation
course.
·
Functional
Courses
o
Duty Signal Officers
course.
o
Duty Exchange Officers
course.
o
Officers Line
Construction course.
o
Officers Radio Relay
and Line Equipment course.
o
Officers Radio
Equipment course.
o
TOT refresher course.
·
Miscellaneous
Course - Seniors Officers Study Fortnight.
Young Officers Course
The term young officer, or YO, is
generally used for a newly commissioned officer who has passed out from one of
the cadet training institutions such as the Indian Military Academy (IMA) or
the Officers Training School (OTS). The training of a young officer has always
been given the highest consideration, since it forms the foundation on which
the officer’s future career and his utility to the Corps and the Army are
eventually built.
In the period preceding World War
II, young officers commissioned into the Indian Signal Corps (ISC) from the IMA
were trained for 18 months at Signal Training Centre (STC), Jubbulpore ,
followed by a three month course at the Army Signal
School Poona Bangalore Belgaum UK ISC School
After Independence School of Signals Infantry
School Army Signal
School Poona
The experiences of the first few
officers who did the PAT course make interesting reading. One of the officers
who did the first course was Lieutenant General M.S. Sodhi, who writes:-
Signals YOs
Course (Post Academy 14
January 1947 . In January 1948 we went to Poona Army
Signal School Infantry
School
It
is pertinent to remember that during the first few years after Independence UK Army Signal School
Training
facilities at Signal
School Army Signal
School Poona Col
I
was Instructor at School
of Signals Mhow
Young officers of PAT-I during an
outdoor exercise at Beka village near Mhow, in Sep 1947.
From left to right : 2/Lt EN Ramadoss, 2/Lt
KT Bopaya, Lt Balkar Singh, 2/Lt KK Poonawalla, Lt Norman (Instructor),
2/Lt MS Sodhi and 2/Lt SN Mookerjee
PAT courses were discontinued in
1951, when a new policy was laid down regarding the training of the young
officers. This was as follows:-
·
On completion of the
course at the IMA, young officers proceeded to the School of Signals
·
At the end of their
training at the School
of Signals
·
During their service in
a divisional signal regiment, young officers had to do some additional courses.
These were the Platoon Weapons Course at the Infantry School; the Physical
Training Course at the Army School of Physical Training and the Signal Officers
Course at the Army Signal School.
·
On completion of two to
two and a half years service with units young officers attended the Signal
Special Engineering Course at the School of Military Engineering (SME), Poona
·
After completion of the
course at the SME, the young officers went to the School of Signals
Consequent to the amalgamation of
the Army Signal School School
of Signals
During the Eighth CSOs/Commandants
Conference in 1953, the consensus of opinion was that the young officers’
training policy should be revised with a view to allocating more time to them
to appear in their retention/promotion examinations. Based on these
recommendations the training policy of young officers was revised and
promulgated in the General Staff training pamphlet ‘Post Commission Training
Regular Officers’. According to the
revised policy, the YOs basic course at the School of Signals College
of Military Engineering School of Signals.4
Within a year, the above policy was
again revised. It was decided that after the YOs course whose content and
duration remained unchanged, officers would be posted to a field signal
unit. After 2½ to 3 years with a unit,
they would be divided up into two categories, to be known as Technical Officers
and General Duties Signals Officers. The first category, comprising about 40%
of the young officers with better technical aptitude, would undergo the Signal
Officers Special Engineering Course Part I (Basic Engineering) at the CME,
Kirkee followed by its Part II at the School of Signals School of Signals
However, the above policy was never
implemented as envisaged. At a later date, when it was decided to increase the
duration the CME/OST course to three years and rename it as Signal Officers
Degree Engineering Course, only officers who qualified in the entrance
examination were sent on this course. When graduate officers who had a
technical degree started joining the Army, they were detailed to do a basic
course with a slightly different syllabus than the YOs course. This was due to the fact that basic subjects
such as Electricity and Magnetism, Electronic Theory and other technical
subjects had been taught to these officers in civil colleges before
commissioning. In lieu of these subjects, graduate officers were given
instructions on circuitry, fault finding and operation of complex line
equipment and medium power radio sets which was not part of the syllabus of YOs
course. However, this practice was discontinued when it was found that the
performance of graduate officers even in technical subjects was below average
as compared to the YOs. It was then decided to combine the YOs and graduate
officers’ course and run it on a common syllabus. This move helped to create a healthy spirit
of competition between the two and the performance overall improved.
The duration of the YOs course
remained unchanged until 1962, when a major upheaval occurred as result of the
1962 war with China School of Signals School
of Signals 30 June
1963 after undergoing the truncated two and half month YOs course.
By this time OTSs had started functioning
at Poona Madras 30 June
1963 . During the period 1963 to 1965, twelve emergency courses
passed from out the IMA and the two OTSs, in addition to the regular courses.
As a result, 16 truncated YOs courses were conducted at the School of Signals Madras
During the 1971 war with Pakistan 14 November 1971 , a month
earlier than scheduled. A
short Young Officers course of 15 weeks duration was conducted for these
officers from 25 November
1971 . The next course at the
IMA was shortened by three months, passing out on 31 March 1972 . After this the situation returned
to normal, and regular YO’s courses of six months began to be conducted for
officers passing out from the IMA and OTS, which was later redesignated as the
Officers Training Academy (OTA).
Technical
Courses
At the time of Independence UK ISC
School UK Royal Signals
School ISC School
To fulfil the immediate requirement
of updating the technical knowledge of officers after Independence ISC School
In 1950 it was decided to conduct the Signal
Officers Special Engineering Course at the School of Military Engineering
(SME), Kirkee. The first course commenced at the SME in January 1951, ending in
August 1952. The duration of the course was 84 weeks and officers were sent on
the course after having spent two to two and a half years in a signal unit. Since only one course was conducted in a
year, two batches of YOs did the course together. On completion of the course
at SME these officers did the Officers Short Telecommunication (OST) of 31
weeks duration at the School
of Signals
In 1953 it was decided to review the syllabi of the
Signal Officers Special Engineering and the Short Telecommunication Courses.
This was done with the view to eliminate portions of the syllabus of the
Special Engineering Course which were superfluous to the study of
telecommunication engineering and transfer some portions to the Short
Telecommunication Course. Some portions that were common to both syllabi would
be amalgamated and the total duration of the courses would be reduced. As a
result of this review, it was decided that all instructions pertaining to Army
equipment will be transferred to the Short Telecommunication Course and only
theoretical principles will continue to be taught at the Special Engineering
Course. The duration of these courses would be 72 and 36 weeks respectively,
making a total of 108 weeks i.e. a little over two years.6
In 1964-65 a new policy was issued
for the training of officers. It was decided that all regular officers, except
engineering graduates, would undergo the Signals Officers Degree Engineering course.
The Advisory Board for the College
of Military Engineering School
of Signals
As a result of these
recommendations, the duration of the Signal Officers Degree Engineering Course
Parts I and II run at the College
of Military Engineering School of Signals
An important step was the
introduction of the scheme for post graduate training of officers in civil
universities in India Institute
of Science Bangalore
In 1966, approval was obtained for
selected signal officers to do engineering courses in civil engineering
colleges and universities. One officer attended the three year degree course in
Telecommunication Engineering at the Government
Engineering College Jabalpur
An important decision regarding the SODE
course was taken in 1968, when the revised policy on post commission training
of officers was issued. The revised pamphlet titled ‘Post Commission Training
of Permanent Commission Officers 1968’ had two main features pertaining to
officers of the Corps. It laid down that SODE is a basic course and is to be
attended by all permanent commissioned officers. It also stated that the Senior
Signal Officers and Signal Company Commander’s courses had been designated as
career courses.9
As already mentioned, the Officers
Long Telecommunication Course (OLT) was introduced in 1947 as the Officers
Telecommunications Course. This course, initially, was conducted as an
equipment oriented course. Selected
officers of the Corps were given training in the circuitry, operation, repair
and maintenance of all radio and line equipments in use in the Army. The duration of the first two courses was 28
weeks. It was later increased to 40 weeks
and later on to 88 weeks. The aim of the
course was also modified ‘to train selected officers in the more advanced
theory and practice of telecommunication with special reference to application
of modern telecommunication techniques to the practical requirements of Army
Signal communications’. Even at this
stage the emphasis was on ‘Equipments’ though Electronics Theory subjects had
been included in the syllabus to the extent of almost 50 percent of the total.
According to the revised policy for
training of officers laid down in 1964-65, it was decided that the course will
be of post graduate standard and entry will be restricted to officers who are
engineering graduates or have qualified on the SODE course. Selection of
officers for the course was through an entrance examination. It was found that general performance of the
course was not very satisfactory. Even
though officers qualified in the entrance tests, they could not keep up with
the pace and depth of instruction. With the level of the course elevated to
post graduate standard, it was essential that officers with sufficient
technical background and proven aptitude for higher studies in
telecommunication engineering are selected for the course. In 1971 it was decided that the system of
entrance examination be discontinued and that selection of officers be carried
out by Army HQ (Signals Directorate).
Officers selected for the course should have a degree in engineering (BE
Telecom or equivalent) or qualified on SODE course with a minimum grading of
‘B’ and recommended for higher studies.
Since the input level of students
was already of degree standard and the course was given the status of a post
graduate course, the emphasis on equipment orientation was removed. The course was re-designed to train selected
officers in advanced telecommunications practice to enable them to plan and
design communication system and to function as communication staff officers and
equipment staff officers at higher headquarters. The duration of the course was also changed
to 60 weeks.
The Officers Long Telecommunication
(OLT) Course was redesignated as Signal Officers Advanced Telecommunication
Engineering (SOATE) Course with effect from course serial OLT-14 which
commenced at MCTE on 15
January 1970 . It was also
decided to do away with the entrance examination for the course with effect
from SOATE -15. The selection of
officers for this course was done by interviews at the Signal Directorate on
the same lines as that of the Technical Staff Officers course.
In anticipation of the imminent
hostilities a number of measures that affected training were taken in August
1971. The SOATE and Signal Company Commanders courses were postponed
indefinitely. The period of training in respect of the YOs course was also reduced. On commencement of the war In December 1971,
all courses in CME and MCTE were suspended or postponed, including the SODE
course. The officers undergoing these courses were despatched to the units from
which they had joined the courses. However, the majority of officers arrived in
the units when the war had almost ended. The SODE courses in MCTE were resumed
in March 1972 and those in the CME in May 1972. The SOATE course (SOATE-15)
that had been postponed indefinitely eventually commenced on 29 May 1972 .
Refresher
& Functional Courses
In
addition to the YOs course and technical courses such as the OST and OLT, a
number of refresher and functional courses were conducted for officers from
time to time. In the initial years
before the commencement of the OST course, the following courses were conducted
at the ISC School
·
Assistant Duty Signal
Officer (ADSO) course.
·
Direct Commissioned
Officers course.
·
Temporary Commissioned
Officers course.
·
Officers’ Basic
Refresher course.
·
Graduate Officers
course.
·
Officers RTT course.
·
Senior Signals Officers
Refresher course.
·
Signals Company Commanders course.
·
Signals Junior
Commanders course
In 1964-65, a new policy was issued
for the training of officers. The aim and scope of the Signals Junior Commanders
and Company Commanders courses were rationalized. Until then, officers who had
not done the OST/SODE course were sent on the Signals Junior Commanders course.
It was decided that different types of Signals Junior Commanders courses would
be conducted for engineering graduate officers and those non-graduate officers
who for any reason were unable to qualify on the SODE course. The Senior
Signals Officers course was to be a discussion-cum-study group course of
shorter duration. Refresher courses were also conducted for technical officers
telecom (TOT) and cipher officers.
In 1964-65 a number of short
functional and equipment oriented courses were introduced. These were basically meant for the
non-regular officers and those regular officers who had undergone abbreviated
YOs courses during the Emergency. The courses in this category were the Duty
Signal Officers course, Duty Exchange Officers course, Officers Line
Construction course, Officers Radio Relay and Line Equipment course and
Officers Radio Equipment course. These courses continued for about five years
and were discontinued once the emergency commissioned officers began to be sent
on the SODE course after grant of regular commissions from 1969 onwards.
However, some refresher courses for
officers and JCOs continued to be run at the MCTE. These were as under:-
·
Duty Exchange
Officers/JCOs course
·
Duty Signal
Officers/JCOs course
·
TOT/Foreman of Signals
Refresher course
·
Junior Cipher
Officers/JCOs course
In
addition to the courses being conducted at the MCTE, functional courses were
also conducted in other establishments and institutions. These were as given
below:-
·
Joint Electronic
Warfare course Naval Signal School ,
Cochin
·
Systems Analysis and
Design course at the National Institute of Training in Industrial Engineering,
Powai, Bombay
·
Troposcatter course at
the National Physical Laboratory, New
Delhi
·
Satellite Communication
Technology course at the Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station,
Ahmedabad.
Foreign Courses (Officers)
In
the early years, due to lack of availability of advanced technical training
facilities in India UK USA
·
General Radio
Engineering course at Marconi College ,
UK
·
Transistor Theory and Practice course at Messrs Mullards Ltd, UK
·
Telecommunication
Engineering course at School
of Signals Catterick , UK
·
Long Telecommunication course at School of Signals Catterick , UK
·
Short Telecommunication
course at School
of Signals Catterick , UK
·
Senior Officers
Refresher course at School
of Signals Catterick , UK
·
Army Wireless Chain
course at School
of Signals Catterick , UK
·
Land Air Warfare course
at Old Sarum, UK
·
Basic Signal Course at
the Combined Operations
Signal School Fermington , UK
·
Special
Telecommunication course at the General Post Office, London, UK (officers &
JCOs).
·
Signal Material
Maintenance Officers course, USA.
·
Microwave Radio
Officers course, USA
·
Telephone &
Teletypewriters Officers course, USA
·
Associate Signal
Officers Career course/Signal Officers Career course, USA.
·
ADPS Plans/Operations
Officers course, USA.
·
Signals Advance course,
USA
·
Defence Management
Systems course, USA
·
Logistics Executive
Development course, USA
·
Single Side Band
Wireless Repair course, USA (officers & JCOs).
The normal allotment of vacancies
was two to three per year. However, after the sudden increase in the size of
the Corps in the period 1963-65, additional vacancies were allotted, especially
in the USA. In 1964 alone, six officers were sent to the USA on various
courses. There were instances when vacancies on foreign courses allotted to the
Corps could not be availed due to lack of foreign exchange. Most of the courses
in USA were conducted at US Army Signals School, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
From 1971 onwards, some ADPS courses were also conducted at the US Army
Adjutant General School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.
In 1964 information was received
from the War Office in UK that due to certain changes in syllabus, the security
grading of the Telecommunication Engineering course had been upgraded and
vacancies on this course could no longer be allotted to India. The matter was
taken up with the British authorities who intimated that it had been decided
not to allow foreign students on the regular TE course because of security
reasons. However, they were planning to
start a new course for the overseas students which would be designated as
Telecommunications Engineering (Overseas) Course. The duration of this course was 42 weeks and
the first course commenced in April 1969, on which one vacancy was allotted to
India.
In addition to courses conducted in
foreign countries, officers were sometimes trained through correspondence
courses conducted by training institutions abroad. This had the advantage of a
larger number of officers being trained at the same time. An example of this
was the Radio Relay and Automatic Data Processing Correspondence courses
conducted by US Army Signal School. The course had two parts or sub courses,
one dealing with radio relay and the other with ADPS. About four to five
officers were nominated to undergo each part of the course separately.
With the improvement of facilities
for advanced training in India and the introduction of indigenous equipment in
service, the number of foreign courses was gradually reduced. After 1966,
officers began to be sent to civil institutions such as the Indian Institute of
Science Bangalore or the Indian Institutes of Technology for post graduate
training. With this, the need for sending officers abroad ceased. Though
selected officers continued to be sent abroad for post graduate courses, their
numbers were small.
EDPS
Courses
After
the introduction of Electronic Data Processing Systems (EDPS) in the Army in
the mid sixties, a need was felt for training officers in this new field. Major R. Thiagarajan and Major O. A. Pereira
were the first two officers to attend an intensive course in EDP in 1966 at
Indian Statistical Organization, Calcutta.
Thereafter, several officers attended various courses in programming and
systems analysis at the Government of India Computer Centre, New Delhi, on
Honeywell-400 system. Major N.S. Parmar (Engineers), Major S.S. Bains (Signals)
and Major Kaushal (EME) were amongst the officers selected to attend the first
course in early 1967. The duration of the course was ten months and included
comprehensive instruction in system analysis and design, programming and
hardware maintenance. Based on course performance of the graduating class of
thirty, Majors S.S. Bains and N.S. Parmar were retained as instructors for
subsequent courses.
Consequent to the decision to
install ICL 1904 system for the Army in early 1971, the vendors ICL (UK)
conducted two comprehensive systems and programming courses at Bangalore where
similar ICL computer systems were already operational. Nearly thirty officers
of Army HQ EDP Centre and those selected for further assignments attended these
courses. In addition to the courses being conducted in India, a few officers were nominated to attend EDPS
courses in the USA, which had already made rapid strides in this field. Courses
in automatic data processing (ADP) conducted at the US Army Signal School in
Fort Monmouth in USA were attended by Major M.S. Sodhi and Major R.P. Singh.
These courses were later shifted to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, where
Major Harbhajan Singh, Major Navani and Major Kulwinder Singh did the
courses.
Training in EDPS in MCTE, Mhow started in 1970.
Major A. S. Kahlon and Major Purshotam Singh were posted to MCTE after the
first ICL Course to organize systems design and programming courses. They
conducted two courses each of three months duration for sixteen officers each
of Army, Navy and Air Force. The first ad-hoc course on EDPS commenced at the
MCTE on 2 February 1970. This was a Programmer-cum-Systems Analysts course
based on the Honeywell 400 System and concluded on 25 April 1970. The second
course scheduled for May 70 had to be postponed owing to reorientation of the
syllabus necessitated by the sanction of a new ICL 1904 computer system
exclusively for the Army. Training of personnel who were to man the computer
was conducted under the arrangements of the suppliers.
Subsequently in 1971, a computer
technology wing was formally
sanctioned at MCTE to provide a
base for training of service personnel including Army, Navy, Air Force and
civilians belonging to other cadres of the Ministry of Defence. Lieutenant
Colonel Harbhajan Singh was the first officer to command this wing on return
from USA after attending the ADP course.
He has described his experience in the following words:-
I was posted as
Officer Commanding of the newly sanctioned EDP/Computer Wing at MCTE Mhow in
May 1971, on return from ADP Plans and Operations Course at Fort Benjamin
Harrison, Indiana, USA. The Wing, a rather small set up, was located in a
barrack near the old FCC Office. Two ad-hoc courses had been conducted before I
took over.
Those days there
were only Main Frame Computers, with a number of Magnetic Tape Decks and
Removable/Fixed Disc Drives. Programs
were written on coding sheets. The
programs and data were punched on 80 column cards, nearly the size of a post
card, then verified using a Verifier Machine by keying in every character a
second time and fed in to the computer using a Card Reader. The card decks
could fill boxes at times and if the cards fell down or got mixed up, they had
to be sorted on a Sorter Machine!!
The programming
training was oriented towards ICL 1904 Computer installed at the Army
Headquarters EDP Centre, at Delhi. In
MCTE there were just a few Punched Card and Verifier Machines and no other
hardware. The students wrote the programs on coding sheets from which cards
were punched and sent to Delhi for compiling. On receipt of the errors from
Delhi, the programs were corrected by students in Mhow and sent again for
compiling!! Quite a time consuming and tedious process!! The whole course was
also taken to The Computer Centre at Delhi for two weeks for compiling and
running programs and doing a project. This was not the ideal situation but a
good make shift arrangement till a computer was installed at Mhow. The course
at MCTE was designed on the lines of the ones conducted in USA. COBOL, FORTRAN
and assembly language were covered along with systems analysis and design and
operation of an EDP Centre. The courses were conducted for all arms. Some
officers from the Navy and Air Force as also Ministry of Defence also attended
the courses. The instructional staff was also from all arms/services viz. Major Amarjit Singh Kahlon, Major S.S. Bains,
Major J.L. Chatterjee (all Signals), Major B.K. Kalra and Major (both Ordnance)
and an EME officer. 10
A Main Frame Computer
80
Column Punched Card |
Punched
Card Machine
Cipher
Courses
During
World War II, cipher officers at formation headquarters functioned under the
Intelligence Branch. In 1943, the responsibility for operation of ciphers
including training of cipher personnel was transferred to Signals. A cipher
school was established at Mhow as part of STC (British). Before Independence,
codes and ciphers were handled by British personnel. The first course for
training 20 Indian cipher operators commenced in early 1947 at the Indian
Signal Corps School that had been established at Mhow in October 1946 after the
disbandment of STC (British).
After the departure of British
personnel in 1947, recruitment of cipher operators was initially done by
transfers from other arms/services. This was stopped after 1948 and cipher
operators began to be re-mustered from other within the Corps. To make up the
deficiency of cipher officers volunteers were asked from other arms/services.
These officers were transferred to Signals as cipher officers after undergoing
a conversion course at the School of Signals. In addition, selection boards
were held to screen suitable JCOs for grant of SSRC as cipher officers. As
result, two cipher officers (Balakrishna Nair and Rajinder Singh) were given
SSRC for 5 and 3 years respectively on 1 January 1948. Five months later, two
more cipher officers (N.G. Bakshi and R.K .Nambiar) were given SSRC for similar
periods. The type of SSRC (5 or 3 years) depended on the rank (Subedar or
Jemadar) held by the JCOs.
When the Indian Signal Corps School
was established at Mhow in October 1946, it included No. 3 Squadron which was
responsible for cipher training. It was then commanded by Major Prince who was
succeeded by Captain W.A. Tornay in October 1947. In August 1949, when the
establishment of the School of Signals was revised, squadrons were redesignated
as companies which were grouped under two wings. The cipher company formed part
of No 2 Wing that was responsible advanced training. In 1961 the cipher company was organized as a
separate wing under a lieutenant colonel/major.
There was no direct recruitment in
ciphers, the personnel being re-mustered from other trades. Cipher courses for
officers as well as JCOs and OR were conducted at the Cipher Company/Wing at
School of Signals. These include the basic and upgrading course for cipher
operators and refresher courses for cipher officers and JCOs.
In 1952, the first Officers Basic Cipher course
(OBC-1) was conducted for seven temporary commissioned officers who volunteered
to join as cipher officers. From 1954 onwards an entrance test was introduced
for volunteers for transfer from other trades as cipher operators. Those who
passed the test were sent to do the basic cipher course at the School of
Signals. In addition to the basic course, upgrading courses were conducted for
class 2 and 3 cipher operators. Periodically, refresher courses were also run
for cipher officers and JCOs.
In addition to personnel from
Signals, the Cipher Wing sometimes trained personnel from other establishments.
In 1954/55, a course of eight weeks duration was conducted to train civilian
staff employed in the Joint Cipher Bureau of the Ministry of Defence. In
1950/51 and again in 1956/57 basic courses of eight weeks duration were run for
cipher operators of the Indian Railways. A six-week refresher course was also
run in 1956/57, followed by a four-week course in 1958 for training Railway
Cipher Inspectors in the use of a certain new cryptosystem proposed to be
introduced in the Railways.
A large number of officers were
given emergency commissions in 1963-64. Many of these officers who were in the
higher age group volunteered to serve as cipher officers. Two conversion
courses were conducted during 1965/66 for these ECOs to make them eligible for transfer
to the SL cadre as cipher officers.
Consequent to the introduction of
equipment cipher line (ECL), non-cipher technical subjects such as E&M, AC
Theory and Mathematics were included in the syllabi of all cipher courses
during 1970. Since most of the intake to
the cipher category was from mechanic and operator group, this training was
felt to be of little use. It was
therefore done away with it in 1972. However, for entrants who did not belong
to mechanic/operator categories, a two weeks pre-course training on technical
subjects was arranged at 1 STC prior to the commencement of the basic cipher
course.
The various types of cipher courses
conducted by the MCTE were as under:-
·
Cipher Basic Course
This was a conversion cum basic course for OR for transfer from other trades to
cipher category. Personnel with 3 to 8
years service experience were selected to undergo training after passing a test
conducted by the MCTE. The duration of
this course has been varying from time to time between 8 and 23 weeks. In 1972 the duration of the course was 14
weeks, which was subsequently increased to 20 weeks.
·
Cipher Upgrading
Courses Class 2 and 1 These were conducted
to upgrade operators cipher from class 3 to 2 and class 2 to 1
respectively. The personnel for these
courses were detailed by Signals Records according to seniority and
recommendations of the unit commanders received through the CSO Commands. The duration of the Class 2 course has been
varying between 8 and 17 weeks from time to time. In 1972 the duration was 12 weeks. The
duration of the Class 1 course has been varying between 10 and 19 weeks. In 1972 the duration was 10 weeks.
·
Junior Officers
(Cipher) Course This was a mixed course for
officers and JCOs who are potential officers, the duration of the course being
six weeks. The aim of the course was to
impart training to junior cipher officers to appreciate and plan cipher cover
in varied situations and to function as cipher and signal security staff officers at formation headquarters. The first such course (JOC-1) was conducted
in 1972.
·
Cipher Officers
Refresher Course This was run up to 1962. Due to pressure on the Wing in imparting
training to OR to meet the increased requirement of cipher personnel as a
result of sudden expansion of the Army after Chinese aggression in 1962, this
course was discontinued.
TRAINING
OF JUNIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS & OTHER RANKS
No
1 Signal Training Centre
At the end of World War
II, there were two training centres for personnel of the Indian Signal Corps.
These were the Signal Training Centre (Indian), Jubbulpore and the Signal
Training Centre (Indian), Bangalore. On
15 August 1946 the Signal Training Centre (Indian), Jubbulpore was redesignated
as No. 1 Signal Training Centre (Indian) and placed under the Indian Signal
Corps Centre that had been created at Jubbulpore, which also had under it the
Records, Depot and the Demobilisation Wing. The Commandants of the ISC Centre
and No. 1 STC (I) were both of the rank of colonel, though the former had the
disciplinary powers of a brigade commander. Similarly, the Signal Training
Centre (Indian), Bangalore became No. 2 Signal Training Centre (Indian).
In June 1947, No. 1 Signal
Training Centre (Indian) was re-designated as No. 1 Indian Signal Corps Centre
and No. 2 Signal Training Centre (Indian) was re-designated as No. 2 Indian
Signal Corps Centre. At the time of Partition in August 1947, No. 1 Indian
Signal Corps Centre consisted of HQ, the Military Training Regiment, the
Technical Training Regiment, the Boys Regiment, the Depot and Demob Regiment
and the Indian Signal Records. The composition of No 2 Indian Signal Corps
Centre was similar, except for the Depot and Records.
Since
the newly created state of Pakistan did not have any training centre, - the one
at Sialkot had been closed after the War – it was decided to close the centre
at Bangalore and transfer its assets to Pakistan, where a new centre would be
established at Murree Hills. However, since the Muslim personnel who were to go
to Pakistan were being trained at Jubbulpore and the non-Muslim personnel who
were to remain in India were at Bangalore, this involved the shifting of a
large number of personnel from Bangalore to Jubbulpore before the division
could be effected. Approximately 1500 personnel of No. 2 ISC Centre had to be
moved from Bangalore to Jubbulpore and 486 personnel of the Boys Regiment from
Bangalore to Mhow. Approximately 2500 personnel from Jubbulpore and 150 from
Bangalore moved to Murree Hills; while 643 from Mhow and 107 from Poona moved
to Rawalpindi. Heavy stores and equipment accompanied all these moves, which
took place well after Partition. These moves were expected to be completed by
January 1948 but in view of the worsening communal situation, in September 1947
it was decided that the personnel to be transferred to Pakistan should move
without waiting for the courses in progress to be completed.
On 12 September 1947, a small party
under Captain Kelsey, Royal Signals, proceeded to Western Pakistan to finalize
arrangements for locating the Pakistan Signals Centre. On 1 October, a small
detachment of Signals Records reached Ambala to receive the personnel in
Pakistan who had opted for India and send them directly to the units earmarked
for them. They were also to assist personnel on leave who had been stranded in
Eastern Punjab because of disturbances and floods. Between 24 and 24 October,
the advance party of No. 2 ISC Centre arrived in Jubbulpore with the stores and
equipment which had been allotted to Pakistan.
On 27 October 1947, the first
contingent of personnel who had opted for Pakistan, comprising three officers,
ten JCOs and 174 OR left Jubbulpore for Western Pakistan by a special train
under command of Lieutenant Colonel J.N. Barker. On the same day, Major Feroze
Khan, commanding the Depot and Demob Regiment, and his adjutant were placed
under close arrest for rendering a false certificate in connection with search
of the contingent going to Pakistan. During October, the Warrant Officers and
Sergeants Mess, Royal Signals was finally closed. The silver and trophies were divided, half
being presented to Officers Mess STC and the remainder sent to Catterick in UK.
On 01 November 1947, the establishment of Depot and Demob Regiment, No. 1 ISC
Centre was further reduced and the unit re-designated as Depot and Demob Wing,
STC (I). The move of personnel to
Pakistan continued during the month, the fourth and last contingent departing
on 22 November 1947.
On 1 December 1947, Colonel Apar
Singh, MBE, the first Indian to command the Centre, took over as Commandant No.
1 ISC Centre from Colonel R.J. Moberly, OBE, the last British Commandant.
Giving an account of the division of the Centre, Colonel Moberly has written:
The writer was responsible
for dividing equipment, money and regimental property in the ratio 2 to 1 for
India and the future Pakistan. The Record Office was divided into two and all
equipment and stores were selected by boards of officers, always consisting of
equal members of Indians and Pakistanis. Priority signal equipment for a new
Signal Training Centre to Pakistan was earmarked for carriage in four trucks
followed in the backs of special trains carrying soldiers, and Records Office
personnel to Pakistan. Money and Trophies were divided in consultation with
General Headquarters, the writer having to travel there to make detailed
arrangements.
As the railways were
disrupted by floods, two months after Independence in 1947 there were still
2500 Punjabi Mussalmans under the writer’s command in Jabalpur. In the end the trains left, and the long task
of division, a very sad one for the writer, was completed”.11
In June 1948, the designation of
No. 1 ISC Centre was changed to Signal Training Centre. A month later, the
establishment of the Military Training Regiment was increased and it was
reorganised on four company basis i.e. one headquarters and three training
companies. The rank of the officer
commanding was upgraded from major to lieutenant colonel. Shortly afterwards,
on 3 August 1948, the Boys Regiment arrived from Mhow and occupied the Napier Lines which had by
then been vacated by the ‘G’ Company, Technical Training Regiment consequent to their move to the Roberts
Barracks.
In December 1948, the Technical
Training Regiment was enlarged and split into two regiments – 1 Technical
Training Regiment and 2 Technical Training Regiment. The two units were,
however never actually separated. The
senior lieutenant colonel commanded both units as a whole and the junior acted
as chief instructor for them. In view of
this increase, the establishment of HQ STC was also revised to include a Deputy
Commandant (lieutenant colonel), a GSO 2 (Technical Training) and a GSO 2
(Methods). The staff officer (major)
formerly authorized in the establishment was redesignated GSO 2 (Staff Duties).
On
01 July 1950, the establishment of the Depot and Demob Wing, STC, was further
reduced and it was re-designated as Depot Company, STC. The rank of the officer
commanding was downgraded from major to captain. In October 1950, the two technical training
regiments were separated and commenced functioning as separate units. Their training responsibilities were divided.
No. 1 Technical Training Regiment took over training of mechanics, linemen,
despatch rider and mechanical transport drivers while 2 Technical Training
Regiment was made responsible for training operators, clerks, draughtsmen,
carpenters and storemen technical.
The organisation of the STC as
revised in Apr 1951 was as shown below:-
HQ STC
In November 1953 the establishment
of the STC was again revised, with the headquarters and each training regiment
having its independent peace establishment (PE). This continued up to 1957 when
there was another revision that became effective from 1 Jun 1958. Salient features of the revised PE were as
given below:-
·
HQ STC comprised the
Commandant (colonel); Deputy Commandant (lieutenant colonel); Technical
Training and Methods Officer (major); Major Staff Duties; Training and Methods
Officer (captain); Technical Officer Telecommunication (major); General Duties
and Accounts Officer (subaltern); and the Physical Training Officer (captain).
The Methods Team and Telecommunication Maintenance Section formed part of the
headquarters.
·
The Military Training
Regiment, which was designed to hold 1150 recruits at any one time. It
consisted of the regimental headquarters, HQ Company and three military
training companies.
·
No 1 Technical Training
Regiment, which was designed to cater for 1280 trainees at any one time. It comprised the regimental headquarters, HQ
Company, Workshop Wing and Other Trades Wings.
·
No 2 Technical Training
Regiment, which was designed to cater for 1152 initial technical trainees and
for 192 Army HQ courses at any one time.
It comprised the regimental headquarters, Administrative Company, A and
B Wings.
In January 1962 an additional military training
regiment was sanctioned for the STC and the raising was be completed by 15
August1962. Soon after wards the Chinese aggression resulted in major changes
in the organisation of the training establishments to cater for the large
number of new signal units that were raised. Two additional signal training
centres were raised, one each at Panjim (Goa) and Jabalpur. The signal training centre already existing
at Jabalpur was redesignated as No. 1 Signal Training Centre. The new centres
raised were No. 2 Signal Training Centre at Panjim and No. 3 Signal Training
Centre at Jabalpur. No 4 Technical Training Regiment was raised as part of No.
3 STC to train personnel of operator, clerk, draughtsman and carpenter trades.
This unit was initially raised along with 2 Technical Training Regiment of No.
1 STC but started functioning independently with effect from May 1963 and moved
to Mandla Road in September 1963.
The establishment of No 1 STC was
revised in January 1967 and for the first time the independent establishments
of the units were merged and only one PE was issued for the whole Signal
Training Centre except for the Boys and Depot Regiment. According to this revised PE No. 1 STC was
designed to train at any one time 3496 Recruits, 32 Army HQ promotion (S)
course trainees and 464 Army HQ conversion and upgrading technical course trainees. The main features of the PE were as follows:-
·
HQ STC, comprising the
Training Aids, Methods and Training Team; Trade Allotment and Trade Testing
Team and Mechanical Transport Company.
·
Military Training
Regiment comprising HQ Company, six military training companies and one
Promotion (S) Course Trainees Section (1080 recruits, 32 trainees)
·
Technical Training
Regiment (Type ‘A’) comprising HQ Company and technical training companies for
workshop trades (608 recruits, 192 trainees).
·
Technical Training
Regiment (Type ‘B’) comprising HQ Company and
technical training companies for
operator trades (880 recruits, 240 trainees)
·
Technical Training
Regiment (Type ‘C’) comprising HQ Company and
technical training companies for
other trades, (928 recruits, 32 trainees)
In 1967 No. 3 STC at Jabalpur was
disbanded. The Other Trades Wing of 1 Technical Training Regiment which was
training linemen, drivers and DR moved to 2 Technical Training Regiment. The
Operator Trades Training Company of 2 Technical Training Regiment moved to 4
Technical Training Regiment, which became a part 1 STC. Thus No. 1 STC was
reorganized and comprised four training regiments - 1 Military Training
Regiment; 1 Technical Training Regiment (Type A); 2 Technical Training Regiment
(Type C); and 4 Technical Training Regiment (Type B).
In 1971 a fresh PE was issued for
No. 1 STC incorporating minor changes such as the authorization of a Chief
Instructor (lieutenant colonel) in HQ STC in addition to the Deputy Commandant
(lieutenant colonel). This PE was
designed to cater for 3500 recruits and to conduct courses for 500 trainees at
any one time. The organisation of STC
was as shown below:-
Foreman
of Signals Course
Soon after Independence, it was
decided to introduce a new category for JCOs in the Corps, to be known as
Foreman of Signals. This was to fill the vacuum created by the departure of
British personnel in 1947, who had been looking after repair and maintenance of
signal equipment. Promotion to this category was made from selected personnel of
workshops trades, after they had undergone a course of one year’s duration at
the School of Signals, Mhow. Initially, the personnel selected to undergo the
Foreman of Signals course were not fully trained, qualified or experienced to
discharge their duties according to the standards envisaged for this category.
Also, there was no provision for the development of their JCO qualities in one
year training period.
As conditions improved, the
training policy of Foreman of Signals category was revised in 1953, in order to
eradicate the shortcomings mentioned above. The course was divided into two
parts, each of approximately one year duration. After having successfully
completed Part I, an NCO became eligible to attend Part II of the course after
gap of three years. He was promoted to
JCO rank and given the designation ‘JCO’ Foreman of Signals’ only after
completion of both Parts I and II and the NCO’s ‘S’ Course.
In 1963 it was decided to
amalgamate both parts of the course, and increase its duration from 52 to 58
weeks, to cater for mid-term breaks of 10 days and annual leave of one
month. In 1969, the duration of the
course was increased from 58 to 91 weeks.
In 1972 efforts began to obtain approval of the Technical Education
Board of Madhya Pradesh Government to for recognition of Foreman of Signals
course as equivalent to the Diploma course in Electronics and Telecommunication
Engineering.
Recruits
Training
One of the immediate sequels of Independence and
Partition was the shortage of trained manpower, consequent to the repatriation
of British tradesmen and the departure of Muslim personnel to Pakistan. Since training of fresh recruits would take
some time, it was decided to tide over the shortage by asking for volunteers
from other Arms and Services and inducting them the Corps after suitable
training. The conversion training of workshop trades was conducted at the
Indian Signal Corps Centre, which later became the Signal Training Centre,
Jubbulpore. The conversion training of operators and other trades was carried
out partly in the Centre and partly in the units/commands, which were asked to
put up with the difficulties of lack of equipment and proper class rooms the
wider interests of the Corps. Courses
for instructors were organised at the Centre. 12
The training of recruits at the STC
Jabalpur continued up to 1957 generally in accordance with the General
Headquarters Directive “Training of the Indian Army Recruits” issued on 8
October 1946. The training was reorganized to meet the qualification requirements
as laid down in AI 39/S/47. The STC was responsible for training of the
following categories of recruits up to class 3 standard with some exceptions as
indicated:-
·
Group ‘B’
Clerk
GD
Radio
Mechanic
Telegraph
Mechanic
Line
Mechanic (School of Signals, Mhow)
Storeman
Technical (AOC School, Jabalpur)
·
Group ‘C’
Draughtsman
Signals
Electrician
Fitter Signals (Driver MT training at STC, EFS training at EME Centre)
Operator
Key Board and Line
Operator
Switch Board and Line
Operator
Wireless and Line
·
Group ‘D’
Carpenter
and Joiner
Lineman
Field
Lineman
Permanent Line
·
Group ‘E’
Despatch
Rider
·
Group ‘G’
Bandsman/Bugler/Drummer/Piper/Trumpeter
etc
Driver
MT
·
Group ‘H’
Cook
Unit (ASC Centre North)
Equipment
and Boot Repair (AOC Centre)
Tailor
Unit (ASC Centre North)
The policy for training of direct
entry recruits was changed in August 1951. According to the new policy,
training was to be carried out in three phases as under:-
·
Phase I - Pre Basic Military Training (2 Weeks)
·
Phase II - Basic
Military Training (19 Weeks)
·
Phase III - Corps
Training (17 to 86 Weeks, varying for different
trades)
In
1954 the STC commenced courses for training line mechanic class 3 which
was being done at School of Signals, Mhow till then. In June 1956 a fresh directive for training of recruits of the
Corps was issued under which phase III period of corps training was revised as
17 to 82 weeks against 17 to 86 weeks earlier.
In Nov 1962 due to declaration of
Emergency consequent to the Sino-Indian war the period of training of direct
recruits was reduced. The reduced training was followed during the whole of
1963 and partly in 1964. In was only in
October 1964 that recruits training for the Corps reverted to the pre-emergency
period.
In 1963 to meet urgent requirements of radio
mechanic, wireless operator and driver mechanical transport it was decided to
utilize the facilities of some of the industrial training institutes and public
under takings in the country. It was
planned to train 250 mechanics, 586 wireless operators and 750 drivers under
this scheme. Accordingly recruits from No 1 STC were detailed to undergo a part
of their technical training at these institutions on completion of basic
military training. The training periods
of industrial training institutes/public under takings were six months for
radio mechanics, three months for wireless operators and two months for
drivers. On completion of their training at these civil institutes the recruits
of these trades had to undergo a further period of training at the STCs for 19,
14 and 9 weeks respectively. The scheme was finally terminated on 31 March
1964. By then 442 radio mechanics, 1152
operators and 1700 drivers mechanical transport had been trained in these
institutions.
In addition to the above arrangement, some
recruits of lineman, driver, despatch rider and operator trade were diverted
for technical training under arrangements of CSOs Command. These recruits were posted directly to their
new units on completion of their technical training and did not come back to
the training centre.
In September 1965 during the Indo
Pak war the period of training of recruits was again reduced as an interim
measure to make up deficiencies. The
emphasis was on quick output while maintaining the standard of proficiency.
In March 1969 a fresh Training
Directive was issued for the training of recruits, superseding the instructions
in force since 1964. The organisation of
training was to be as follows:-
·
Pre-Basic Military
Training (2 weeks)
·
Basic Military Training
(18 weeks)
·
Technical Training (10
to 64 weeks)
·
Military Training for
Ex-Boys (12 weeks)
Considerable disruption had taken
place in the basic training of recruits since 1962 and it was hoped that the
fresh periods of training laid down in the directive of 1969 would bring things
back to normal. However, before the new directive could be fully implemented
the Indo Pak war of 1971 again dislocated the training of recruits. Reduced training was introduced in August
1971 and subsequently emergency training had to be resorted to.
After the cessation of hostilities
it was decided to revert to normal training with effect from April 1972. However due to continuing shortages existing
in the Corps reduced training had to be continued. During the period September
1971 to August 1972 the output of No. 1 STC was approximately 5000 recruits,
because of the reduced periods of training. Because of the enhanced recruitment
in 1971 and 1972 the STC was heavily over loaded and due to shortage of
equipment training of operator categories had to be conducted in shifts. Due to
shortage of vehicles the drivers could not be given the full time and mileage
at the wheel. During this period all
training regiments exceeded their training capacity of recruits and the overall
holding of No 1 STC was equivalent to that of two training centres. The STC shouldered this responsibility
despite shortages of instructors, equipment, accommodation and administrative
staff and did a commendable job in training recruits up to the required
standards.
Upgrading
& Remustering Courses
In the period after Independence in
addition to recruits training the STC was also responsible for the following
upgrading/conversion courses:-
·
Lineman Test class 3
conversion course
·
Lineman Field
Instructors course
·
Lineman Permanent Line
Instructors course
·
Operator Keyboard and
Line Instructors course
·
Operator Wireless and
Line Instructors course
·
Junior Leaders course
(for NCOs)
In 1950 the STC did not conduct any
class 2 upgrading training except for the workshop trades which was
subsequently shifted to the School of Signals in 1951. During this period the responsibility for
upgrading training to Class 2 for all other trades was that of the unit
commanders. All courses other than
recruit training at the STC were controlled by the Military Training
Directorate in Army HQ and were published annually in Special Army Orders.
Due to poor selection of students
for upgrading courses as well as the lack of pre-course training the students
were unable to assimilate fully the instructions imparted to them. Army HQ, therefore, directed that with effect
from 1 April 1953 the first four weeks of all upgrading courses will be devoted
to refresher training. During this
period the trainees were to be given every opportunity and guidance to refresh
their knowledge in subjects with which they may have been out of touch. A test was to be administered at the end of
this training and the result to be entered in Part A of the Technical Test
Certificate. Those obtaining grading C
and below in the above were to be returned to their units.
A further decision taken by Army HQ
in 1953 was with regard to upgrading courses.
Due to continuing deficiencies in Classes 1 and 2 of workshop categories
it was decided that the following procedure would be followed:-
·
Commands would be
responsible for the training and trade testing of radio mechanics and telegraph
mechanics from Class 3 to 2. In order to
ensure uniform standard of tradesmen, the School of Signals would be responsible
for the preparation of test sheets and correction of test papers.
·
The School of Signals
would continue to be responsible for upgrading from Class 2 to 1 of all
workshop categories and for upgrading from Class 3 to 2 in respect of line
mechanics.
·
The STC would be
responsible for upgrading radio mechanic LP/HP from class 3 to 2. Syllabi of
all courses from Class 3 to 2 would be revised to incorporate revised technical
standards as per AI 171/53.
In 1954 the STC also commenced
courses for training line mechanic class 3 and operator wireless and keyboard
class 3. In addition to line mechanic
class 3, the upgrading training of radio mechanic class 2 and telegraph
mechanic class 2 was also shifted to STC, Jabalpur from School of Signals,
Mhow. In 1956 the STC also began
conducting upgrading courses for operator wireless and keyboard classes 2 and
1.
A major problem at the time was the
poor performance of the students on upgrading due to lack of pre-course
training and Army HQ constantly admonished the commands to improve the
situation. Command training schools did
not have any authorized establishment and were therefore, not properly
organized. They also found it difficult
to run upgrading courses and to conduct direct tests due to lack of suitable
instructors. Another factor that affected
mustering/absorption was lack of educational qualifications. As a result of these factors serious
deficiencies existed in class 2 and 1 of various categories.
To improve the situation regarding
deficiencies, shortage of qualified instructors and instructional problems of
command training schools, the STC proposed certain changes in the existing
policy. Based on these proposals, Army HQ issued a fresh policy on upgrading
and re-mustering training in the Corps of Signals in August 1957. The salient points
of the new policy were as under: -
·
Upgrading training from
class 2 to 1 of all categories except storeman technical and electrical fitter
Signals and from class 3 to 2 in workshop, cipher, operator wireless and key
board and lineman test recorder categories was to be carried out at the School
of Signals/STC.
·
All class 1tradesmen
were to be capable of carrying out instructional duties.
·
In view of large
deficiencies, commands were permitted as an interim measure to carry out
upgrading courses centrally for class 1 in operator wireless and line, driver
MT and lineman field categories.
·
Re-mustering training
was to be carried out as per SO-in-C’s policy Instruction No 8 of 1956.
·
In order to ensure
uniformity of standards where commands were permitted to carry out upgrading
training and hold trade tests, all test papers were required to be sent to the
STC for approval.
Until 1959, upgrading courses to be
run at the STC were published yearly in Special Army Orders. The vacancies on these courses were demanded
and allotted through staff channels.
This method of selection of individuals without reference to the
Officer-in-Charge Records was found unsatisfactory as merit and seniority of
individuals could not be balanced as the staff were not aware of the Corps seniority.
The policy for planning, demand and allotment of vacancies in respect of
upgrading courses was changed with effect from training year 1960-61. The main
features of the new policy were as follows:-
·
Bulk requirement of
vacancies on upgrading courses would be based on deficiencies in the respective
trades after taking into account wastages and estimated output from the current
year. This requirement will be worked
out by OIC Records and forwarded to Army HQ.
·
Courses would be
planned at Army HQ. Courses to be run in
Class A establishments would be published in Special Army Orders but courses to
be run in Class B establishments would be communicated to OIC Records, with
intimation to commands. Vacancies on all
courses were to be allotted by OIC Records.
·
OIC Records would
nominate tradesmen keeping in mind eligibility, recommendations, seniority and
merit and arrange for adequate pre-course training to be imparted under command
arrangements.
Based on the
above policy all upgrading courses were to be conducted at the STC, except for
some that were conducted elsewhere. These were the class 1 courses in mechanic
trades at the School of Signals; the
class 2 courses in operator and lineman categories at the command training
schools; the class 1 and 2 courses for Storeman Technical at the AOC School and
the class 1 and 2 courses for Electrician Fitter Signals Class at the EME Centre. The duration of upgrading
courses conducted at the STC was between 18-20 weeks for operator categories;
16 weeks for mechanics and linemen test; 14 weeks for drivers and 12 weeks for
draughtsmen, linemen, despatch riders and clerks.
In 1961, it was appreciated that
proper facilities did not exist in units to impart pre-course training to radio
mechanic (LP) to qualify as radio mechanic (HP) class 3 and it was therefore,
decided that practical training in this should be imparted in STC and the
duration of radio mechanic class 2 course should be extended accordingly. The refresher training which was for period
of four weeks would therefore be six weeks. Due to continuing deficiencies in
operator wireless and line class 1, commands were authorized to run class 1
upgrading courses in this category in addition to those conducted at the STC in
the training year 1962-63.
In October 1962 due to the
operations in NEFA and declaration of Emergency, upgrading courses due to
commence after 1 November 1962 were postponed indefinitely, and in case of
those already in progress emergency syllabus was introduced. The dates of termination of all courses in
progress were advanced. Consequent to the Emergency all upgrading training and
trade testing boards as per Qualification Regulations for Soldiers 1958 were
decided to be conducted under command arrangements. Upgrading training at the STC was also
stopped as an interim measure. With the
decentralization of upgrading training it was not possible to maintain
seniority in filling up class 1 and class 2 quotas. The Government therefore, decided to remove
the quota restriction on upgrading to class 1 and 2 vide Army Instruction
132/62 and 290/62.
Due to the expansion of the Corps
during the period 1963-65 a serious problem had arisen regarding
upgrading. The training centres were
fully committed in training recruits and therefore could not undertake
upgrading. The requirements of upgrading
had also increased due to removal of quota restrictions in class 1 and class
2. There was a need to make sufficient
man power available in class 1 and 2 so as to keep up the technical efficiency
of the Corps and to provide for the selection and appointment of requisite
number of NCOs and JCOs.
The requirement of upgrading
training was therefore, re-appraised and a new directive was issued effective
from April 1963. It was directed that
upgrading courses were to be conducted at School of Signals, the STCs and in
commands. In order to overcome the
problem of some commands being over loaded due to deployment of troops on the borders, as well as to maintain
seniority of OR attending courses it was decided that Signals Records would
allot vacancies centrally for class 1 and 2 courses for mechanic, operator,
clerk, draughtsman, line test recorder and carpenter categories. In addition to
the upgrading courses, direct tests were also permitted to reduce the training
load.
All upgrading courses were
cancelled with effect from 6 September 1965 due to the declaration of emergency
during the war with Pakistan. However,
from 15 September 1965 some courses were started for students from unaffected
commands during the war. The duration of ‘S’ courses was reduced to eight weeks
during this period. After the end of the war full scale upgrading training was
resumed from 1 December 1965.
By 1966 the problem of upgrading
training was further aggravated due to increase in establishment of the
Corps. Although the ultimate aim was for
carrying out upgrading training for all categories in higher groups in the
higher classes at the STCs, this could not be implemented due to the large
influx of recruits. The directive for
1966/67 therefore, provided for a large portion of the load to be handled by
signal units. The direct tests were
abolished in order to maintain a uniform standard and to compensate for this
the number of upgrading courses was increased.
In 1966 since conditions were progressively
approaching a stabilized state it was decided to make a further effort to
increase the number of trainees for 1967/68 above the figure for the previous
year. The nomenclature of Army HQ and command courses was re-defined. The duration of Army HQ courses was also laid
down. It was 24 and 16 weeks respectively for class 1 and 2 of workshop
categories; between 18-20 weeks for class 1 of operator categories; 16 and 15
weeks respectively for class 1 and 2 of line test recorder and 12 weeks for
class 1 of draughtsmen. Direct tests
were not permitted for these courses.
Due to large influx of recruits
during the period 1962-68 there was a huge backlog of OR awaiting upgrading
training and the position was growing worse year by year. Since the training establishments were unable
to cope with the upgrading load it was decided to re-introduce direct tests
with effect from 1968/69. This was
initially for one year but with effect from 1969 it was accepted as a permanent
feature. The problem of lack of pre-course training was a constant bugbear in
the efforts to improve the holding of higher class tradesmen during this
period. It was found at the STC that
utility value of radio mechanic upgrading courses was only about 31% in 1968/69
as most of the students either failed to qualify initially or did not to come
up to the standard despite refresher training.
Another problem faced in the matter
of upgrading training was the requirement of additional qualifications of
driving training. Due to shortage of
vehicles it was not possible to impart this in the STC and therefore it was
decided that the students should be given this training in the units prior to
coming on upgrading courses. However,
despite all instructions the students were still being sent on the course
without the necessary certificate. This point was also discussed during the
CSOs/Commandants Conference.
The problem of upgrading training
was formally studied during a training conference held in November 1971. Ever since the removal of restriction of
quota on class 1 and 2 there was no way of working out the requirement of
upgrading courses. During this
conference a study was carried out of the holding of personnel in different
categories vis-à-vis the requirement of trained personnel in various units. Though it was desirable to have maximum of
class 1 personnel it was felt that it was unattainable in the near future and
therefore it was decided that the ratio between class 1, 2 and 3 should be 2 :
4 : 4. In terms of percentage, this would work out to 20%, 40% and 40%
respectively. From the number of
personnel that would be required to be upgraded it was calculated that it would
take approximately two years to achieve this ratio. As a result of this study
it was decided to issue a SO-in-C’s Policy Instruction on planning of upgrading
courses for the future.
In view of impending war it was
decided to terminate upgrading training progressively with effect from November
1971. However in view of the early
termination of hostilities upgrading training was recommenced with effect from
15 February 1972.
The programme of re-mustering
training of operator special class 3 was modified in 1972 to make up the large
deficiencies in this category. It was
expected that after implementation of the modified programme, it would be
possible to re-muster 360 operator special against 180 that was being done
earlier. The training was to be
conducted in two phase as under:-
·
Phase I.
To be conducted at 1&2 STCs and was to consist of 13 weeks training to
upgrade ORL class 3 volunteers from class 3 to 2, followed by four weeks extensive training and six weeks technical
training. The duration of Phase I was 23 weeks.
·
Phase II.
To be conducted at No. 1 Wireless Experimental Unit, Delhi Cantt for imparting
specialized training. The duration of
Phase II was seven weeks.
Foreign
Courses (JCOs and NCOs)
In the period
before Independence, the workshop trades in the Indian Signal Corps were filled
mostly by British personnel and it was only in 1944 that three Indian NCOs were
admitted to the trade of Foreman of Signals. After the departure of British
personnel in 1947 the shortage of technical personnel in the Corps was keenly
felt, leading to a number of steps such as the recruitment of civilian
technical personnel and conversion from other trades. In addition, selected
JCOs and NCOs were sent abroad for undergoing technical training, mostly to the
School of Signals, Catterick, UK. A few JCOs/NCOs were also sent to the USA to
undergo specialised courses along with officers.
The courses on which JCOs and NCOs
were sent in the period immediately after Independence were as under:-
·
Pre-Foreman of Signals
course, UK
·
Crystal Maintenance
course, UK
·
Foreman of Signals
(Telecommunication) course, UK
·
Foreman of Signals
(Technical Maintenance) course, UK
·
Foreman of Signals
(SQMS) course, UK
After Independence, Foreman of
Signals courses had been started in India. The course was run in two parts,
with Part I being run at the STC and Part II at the School of Signals. A few
NCOs who performed well in Part I were sent to UK to do Foreman of Signals Part
II course at Catterick, while the remainder did the course at Mhow. In later
years, a few JCOs attended the Single Side Band Wireless Repair course, at the
US Army Signals School, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, USA. This was a combined
course for officers as well as JCOs/NCOs.
The normal allotment of vacancies was two to
three per year. However, after the sudden increase in the size of the Corps in
the period 1963-65, additional vacancies were allotted. With time, training
facilities in India improved and the practice of sending JCOs and NCOs abroad
for technical training ceased.
No.
2 Signal Training Centre
In wake of the 1962 war with China,
a large number of formation signal units were raised. This naturally resulted in an increase in the
demand for trained manpower, which could not be met by the existing training
centre at Jabalpur. It was therefore decided to raise two additional training
centres for the Corps, one of them at Jabalpur itself and the second at another
location, preferably in the South. Goa was chosen for its sylvan surroundings
and the fact that if offered certain ready built accommodation which originally
was used by the Portuguese garrison which had been stationed there. What possibly was lost in the labyrinth of
bureaucratic paper work was the fact that Goa is not a city by itself, but
consists of numerous small townships spread throughout its area. The accommodation that was available was in
penny packets and was located at small outposts throughout the island. A decision however having been taken, the No.
2 Signal Training Centre was raised at Panjm on 9 December 1962.
The headquarters of No. 2 Signal
Training Centre was raised along with one military and two technical training
regiments. The headquarters was located
at Panjim, close to the Governor’s official residence. The task of raising the Centre fell on the
shoulders of Colonel R.N. Sen who had by then developed a formidable reputation
in the Corps. The difficulties and intricacies of raising the Centre can be
appreciated from the geographical locations of the various units and the
distances that separated them. The
Military Training Regiment was situated at Margao which was late renamed as
Madgaon. This was the rail head for the
Centre. Apart from the distance of over
30 km between Margao and Panjim, they were separated by a river between over
which no bridge existed and troops and vehicles had to cross by means of a
ferry. No. 3 Technical Training Regiment
was at Bambolim which was about 8 km off Panjim. No. 6 Technical Training Regiment was
located at Ponda which was over 20 km on a separate route from Panjim. Subsequently, in 1967 when No. 3 Signal
Training Centre at Jabalpur was disbanded and its assets divided between No. 1
and 2 Signal Training Centres, No. 5 Technical Training Regiment moved to Goa
and was located along side No. 3 Technical Training Regiment at Bambolim.
In the beginning, there were a
number of other logistic problems which though common to new raisings had
peculiar overtones in the case of units in Goa.
Initially, the troops were housed under tents. Many problems which were faced in the Centre
were due to the fact that Goa was not a cantonment and as such did not boast of
any facilities normally available in a peace time location. The nearest military station was Belgaum
which was over 150 km away. The lack of
administrative back up and laboratories at the technical training regiments
placed a tremendous strain on the pioneers who had to raise this Centre. It is reported that the Commandant himself
went on an ‘exploratory trip’ to various stations in the country to obtain
administrative personnel such as cooks, washermen, sweepers, barbers, for the
Centre! Service transport had not fetched up and as such civilian transport had
to be hired.
No. 3 Military Training Regiment
was raised on 9 December 1962 by Lieutenant Colonel P.R. Gangadharan at Margao.
On the same date No. 3 Technical Training Regiment was raised by Lieutenant
Colonel K.D. Bhargava at Panjim and then moved to Bambolim. The first few batches were sent to Industrial
Technical Institutes for their training as equipment and technical laboratories
had not yet been set up. Subsequent to
the reorganization in 1967, this regiment concentrated on producing mechanics
and electrical fitter Signals. No. 5 Technical Training Regiment was initially
raised under No. 3 Signal Training Centre at Jabalpur during March 1963. Once that Centre was disbanded, the regiment
was reorganized and moved to Bambolim in August 1967 and became part of No. 2
Signal Training Centre. No 6 Technical Training Regiment was raised by
Lieutenant Colonel K Gopinathan on 22 December 1962 at Panjim. Subsequently
during April 1963, it moved to Ponda to train operators of various categories.
Boys
Regiment
During World War II, there were two
Boys Companies in the Corps, one at Jubbulpore and the other at Bangalore. The
general demobilization ordered after the war was speeded up after the mutiny in
Jubbulpore in February 1946. This caused a shortage of accommodation at the
Depot and the Boys Company was moved from Jubbulpore to Mhow in December
1946. On 26 May 1947, the status of both
companies at Bangalore and Mhow was raised to that of a regiment. After Independence,
when 2 STC was transferred to Pakistan, the Boys Regiment at Bangalore was
amalgamated with the one at Mhow on 17 December 1947. The Punjabi Mussulman
element of the Boys Regiment at Mhow was also sent to Pakistan along with the
OC, Major Abdul Rehman, who opted to join Pakistan Army Signals. Major Shambhoo
Singh took over as the OC of the Boys Regiment at Mhow.
Field Marshal, Sir Claude
Auchinleck, who was earlier C-in-C of India and then Supreme Commander of India
and Pakistan, was a great champion of boys training. Being himself a
distinguished soldier, his experience had shown that boys companies produced
excellent leaders. He was so impressed
with the boys on his visit to Mhow in March 1947 that he designed and made a
flag at his own expense to be presented to the Boys Regiment. This flag was presented on 29 January 1948 at
a colourful parade held at Mhow. As the
Field Marshal was unable to come himself, Brigadier Akehurst, the Director
Signals and SO-in-C presented the flag on behalf of the Supreme Commander. On 3
August 1948, the Boys Regiment returned to Jabalpur as by than the
demobilization and partition phase had been completed.
With the issue of the pamphlet
“Boys Training Indian Army, 1947” the aim of the training was changed to produce
first an ‘incipient technician’ and then ‘the man’ in that order of
priority. The educational targets aimed
were Class II English and Class II Army Certificate of Education during two
years. The training of boys continued in
accordance with this pamphlet up to 31 December 1950.
The year 1951 saw a change in boys
training. A new training directive
issued by Army HQ on 20 November 1950 laid down that the aim of boys training
in the Corps of Signals was to produce a ‘skilled technician’ and ‘a leader’ in
that priority. Training was divided into boys training and ex-boys corps
training. The targets during boys
training of 130 weeks were laid down as class 1 English, class 1 Army
Certificate of Education and class IV of a technical trade (operator or workshop).
Under this scheme, after one year of boys training, a boy was to be allotted a
definite trade and trained for class IV in that category.
This
new directive which involved re-introduction of technical training in the Boys
Regiment, which had been discontinued in 1942, resulted in considerable work
particularly in setting up technical installations. The technical training for Phase II was
required to be carried out in the technical training regiments of the Centre. The technical training in Phase II had to be
spread uniformly ever 72 weeks working out to two periods per day. This was most inconvenient due to the
location of the technical training regiments. The difficulty was brought to the
notice of Army HQ which directed that the technical training should be
conducted in the Boys Regiment itself.
To implement this, some technical instructors and items of equipment
were loaned to the Boys Regiment from the two technical training regiments.
The existing policy on the training
of boys was causing difficulties and inconvenience. It was also felt that this policy gave the
ex-boys distinctive treatment during their man service and this form of
exclusiveness was not considered the best way of exploiting the sound technical
and military back ground of the boys. A
fresh policy on training of boys was therefore, issued by Army HQ in 1956. As per this policy the boys were to maintain
their identity only in the Boys Regiment.
On entering the military training regiment they would be treated as
normal recruits. The training was to be
conducted in phases as follows:-
·
Phase I - 52 weeks, at
the Boys Regiment
·
Phase II - 65 weeks, at
the Boys Regiment
·
Phase III - 12 weeks at
the military training regiment followed by 49-79 weeks at the technical
training regiment
During Phase I fifty percent of
training was for education and remainder for developing technical aptitude and
for military and recreational training.
Phase II was entirely meant for developing technical aptitude and
outdoor military training designed to develop qualities of leadership. As the boys would have completed a large part
of their military training in the Boys Regiment, the military training in the
military training regiment was reduced to only 12 weeks in Phase III.
In 1959, the training of the boys
was re-appraised and a fresh training directive was issued. The aim of the boys
training as per the new directive was to produce a man with educational back
ground in Science and Mathematics up to Matriculation standard; provide him a
general technical education designed to develop aptitude for Signals trade; and
enable him to adapt to the way life and the type of work required of a soldier
in the Corps of Signals. The boys were
to be trained up to Matriculation standard with a view to making them potential
soldiers for entry into Group B and C categories of the Corps. On completion of Phase II of their training
it was intended that the boys should attain the standard of Army First Class
Certificate of Education Examination and Army First Class English Certificate
Examination.
A new Training Directive for Boys
issued in March 1969 made major changes in the pattern of educational training
of the boys. The education objective
laid down in this directive was much higher than that laid down in the previous
directives. The aim of the boys training
as laid down in this directive was to produce a man who by the end of this
training was qualified in the Army Special Certificate of Education
Examination; had developed the technical aptitude for eventual entry into a
matric entry rate category of the Corps of Signals; and was physically tough,
mentally alert and adapted to the way of life of a soldier.
About this time queries were raised
by the Adjutant General’s Branch in Army HQ as to why boys were being given
matric entry categories when they had not qualified in the Matriculation
Examination. As it is boys found it difficult to achieve the educational
qualifications laid down in the limited period they spent in the Boys Regiment. With the de-recognition of ACE I and AEC I as
equivalent to matriculation and Army Special being equated with matriculation
the position was further aggravated. It became imperative to carry out changes
in the training being carried out in the Boys Regiment if it was to be saved
from being extinction. Efforts were made
to obtain recognition of the unit as a Boys School by the Madhya Pradesh Board
of Higher Education. This enabled the
unit to send the boys for Matriculation Examination outside. The results of the first batch of students
were very encouraging, but just when this scheme appeared to have a promising
future the Matriculation Examination was abolished in the State due to
switching over to Higher Secondary system.
Efforts were then made to coach the
boys for the Higher Secondary Examination.
In March 1972 the unit sent 104 boys for this examination and obtained a
result of 78% passes. The educational training in the Boys Regiment was
completely revolutionized with intensive coaching being under taken and modern
training aids such as a language laboratory and science laboratories being
setup and utilized to obtain maximum results in both Higher Secondary and Army
Special Examinations. In addition to preparing boys for Higher Secondary
examination the Boys Regiment, being recognized as a school, coached boys for
class 10 which was considered equivalent to matriculation for the purpose of
entry in Matric Entry categories. The OC of the unit was made to qualify for
Bachelor of Education Examination of Jabalpur University thus enabling him to
function as the Principal of the Boys Regiment School. Advantage was taken of
visits to Naval Boys Establishment, Central Institute of English Teaching,
Hyderabad and establishments of Education Ministry, to institute changes in the
training being imparted.
In addition to the changes in
education being imparted to boys, efforts were made to improve the standard of
intake of the boys by sending out recruiting parties. The results both from the point of view of
recruitment and education were very encouraging and gave promise of a brighter
future for the Boys Regiment in 1972. There was no inkling of the fate that
awaited the unit, which was destined to be disbanded a few years hence.
CONCLUSION
The pre-Independence Indian Signal
Corps had created a number of training institutions modelled on those of the
Royal Signals in UK. Providentially,
most of these training institutions were already in India at the time of
Partition in 1947, obviating the need to set up new ones, as happened in Pakistan.
Some, like the ISC School in Mhow, had been set up just before
Independence. Being a technical arm,
with a variety of tradesmen, the requirement of specialised training needed the
closest attention. The foresight and acumen of those at the helm of affairs in
the Corps during its early years after Independence ensured that training
facilities were established and made functional without loss of time. This
enabled the post Independence Corps of Signals, now officered almost entirely
by Indian officers, to finds its feet very quickly.
The challenge for the Corps has
been rapid changes in electronics technology in the second half of the 20th
Century. The changes were phenomenal; from analog to digital, from thermionic
valves to transistors, integrated circuits (ICs) and solid state; induction of
new systems and equipment like radio relay, VHF radios, teleprinters, ECL
machines, tape relay and so on. The Corps was able to meet the challenge and
absorb all these changes due to upgradation of training at the MCTE and STCs.
The story of the growth of the MCTE
reflects the transformation of the Corps from an arm of the service looking
primarily after communications to one with multifarious responsibilities,
including computers, electronic warfare, signal intelligence and many others.
From a small school running just eight courses under the command of a
lieutenant colonel in 1947, it became a college conducting over 30 courses in
1972, under the command of brigadier. (Today, it is commanded by a lieutenant general).
The saga of the STCs is no less
remarkable. In 1947 the STC Jabalpur comprised two training regiments, one
military and one technical. For a short period in the early sixties, there were
three STCs, two at Jabalpur and one at Goa.
By 1972 there were two STCs, each having four regiments, one military
and three technical. In terms of size and capacity, it meant a four-fold
increase in the training facilities. This is in keeping with the strength of
the Corps that had multiplied more than six times during this period.
ENDNOTES – CHAPTER 10
This
chapter is based mainly on the Corps of Signals Planning/Liaison Notes for the
period 1948-57 and 1963-72; Review of Activities of the Corps of Signals,
covering the years 1961-65 dated 7 October 1965, and personal accounts from
officers. Specific references are given
below:-
1.
Personal Account, Lt. Gen. M.S. Sodhi,.
2.
Personal Account, Lt. Col. Chittaranjan
Soni
3.
Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 19 of
June 1951& SO-in-C’s Policy Instruction No 2/51.
4. Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 28 (January 1954).
5. Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 32
(January 1955).
6. Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 28
(January 1954).
7. Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 75
(April 1967).
8. Corps of Signals of Liaison Note No 72
(August 1966).
9. Pamphlet entitled ‘Post Commission
Training of Permanent Commission Officers 1968’.
10. Personal Account, Lt. Gen. M.S. Harbhajan
Singh,
11. Maj. Gen. V.K. Singh, History of the
Corps of Signals, Volume II, New Delhi: Corps of Signals Association, 2006,
p. 307.
12. Corps of Signals Liaison Note No 4 (April
1948),
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