The Secret Code-Breakers of Central Bureau

How Australia’s signals-intelligence network helped win the Pacific War

By David Dufty
Published by Scribe
RRP $49.99 in hardcover
ISBN 9781925322187

Prior to the commencement of the Second World War, Australia had little expertise in signals intelligence and relied upon Britain for any relevant international intelligence. But with the outbreak of war with Germany and the impending entry of Japan, Australia was forced to ramp up its capabilities.

The result was the creation of the Central Bureau located in Brisbane and Melbourne. Its task was to monitor Japanese radio traffic and ultimately, break their codes. While this was achieved very early (an Australian, Eric Nave working with British intelligence in Singapore, actually cracked the Japanese air force code before Japan had entered the war), the Japanese, like all countries, changed their codes on a regular basis and so the work was ongoing.

David Dufty’s absorbing book reveals how Australia built a large sophisticated intelligence network from scratch and how their code-breakers played a vital role in the Battles of Midway, Milne Bay, the Coral Sea, Hollandia and Leyte. He introduces us to some fascinating characters such as Florence Violet McKenzie who founded the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corp, an organisation whose sole aim was to provide signals training for women.

And it was these women who eventually became the nucleus of the navy’s special signals workforce. A fascinating book.