Wikibooks: History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Biographies/William Tamillas Stephen Crawford

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; Crawford; Antarc*; Macquarie Island
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/History_of_wireless_telegraphy_and_broadcasting_in_Australia/Topical/Biographies/William_Tamillas_Stephen_Crawford

=William Tamillas Stephen Crawford= William Tamillas Stephen Crawford was a wireless industry professional who steadily rose through the ranks as a commercial telegraphist concluding his career with 20 years as the senior radio inspector in New South Wales. He commenced his professional career in 1896 with the Eastern and Australian Extension Telegraph Company as a telegraphist at their George Town submarine cable station. In 1901 he resigned that position and commenced as a telegraphist with the Postmaster General s Department at their Queenstown post office. In 1903 he transferred to Launceston and remained there till 1910 when he was promoted to postmaster at Georgetown with key responsibility for testing the unreliable submarine cable. With the impending commencement of Tasmania s first coastal wireless station POH/VIH Crawford was appointed officer in charge and worked with John Graeme Balsillie on the final commissioning of the station in 1912. The commissioning of the Hobart coastal station had been brought forward particularly to establish wireless communication with the Australasian Antarctic Expedition s intermediate relay station at Macquarie Island (callsign MQI). Daily reports confirmed that they were successful in achieving this. After two years in charge of VIH Crawford was promoted to officer in charge of the Melbourne wireless station (POM/VIM). While VIM had greater prominence due to the Melbourne location operationally it was less importance due to the extensive network of lighthouses and telegraph stations along the Victorian coastline. In 1915 the entire coastal wireless arm of the Postmaster General s Department was transferred into the newly formed Royal Australian Naval Radio Service. As part of this exercise Crawford was additionally appointed Radio Inspector for Victoria and had responsibility for prosecuting wireless breaches of the War Precautions Act in the State of Victoria. His initial appointment in the RANRS was as a Commissioned Telegraphist. In 1918 he was promoted to Radio ...