Royal Signals Musuem - Display Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO MUSEUM DISPLAYS
OF EARLY COMMUNICATIONS

The importance of communications in a military context

"I know of no military operations which were not dependent to one degree or another on communications; the more difficult the operations the more crucial the dependence." General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley.

In warfare fast and accurate communications are essential. A Commander needs to know where his troops are, what they are doing and whether they have sufficient supplies.

Early types of military signalling

The earliest form of signalling was the man running on foot, carrying a message. A famous example of this was Pheidippides who in 490 BC, carried the news of victory at the Battle of Marathon, 26 miles to Athens - then dropped dead! Today foot races of this distance are named after the Battle of Marathon.

Trumpets have been used since ancient times and chains of soldiers were used on hilltops to shout messages to each other. It is claimed that signals could travel 450 miles in 48 hours using this method, but the disadvantage with sound signals is their limited range, competing noise and sounds travel more slowly than light.

The Roman army used coloured smoke and lights in signal towers. The Greeks used fire signals and Signallers in England used beacons to send long distance messages. The approach of the Armada was communicated from Plymouth to London in 1588 using this method.

In 1796 the Admiralty adopted a system that relied on visual contact. It used the Letter Telegraph invented by Lord George Murray. A Shutter Telegraph station existed in Blandford Camp from 1806 to 1825. There is a model of the station in the Museum.

Displays