War stimulated use of the telegraph. For example, Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company’s receipts went from £131,000 to £950,000 in 1915 alone, more than half of which was profit.

WITH MANY YOUNG men joining up at the outbreak of war, it became difficult for the Eastern Telegraph Company to recruit enough personnel to maintain the international cable system. As a result, in November 1914 recruiting officers were instructed not to take on ‘cable men’. The company’s offices in London were taken over by the British Government and the transmission of coded messages was suspended – telegrams could only be sent in plain English or French. Cable-cutting, which seriously hampered enemy communications, was popular on both sides and within hours of the outbreak of war five German cables were cut. The Germans retaliated by attacking the company’s main Pacific and Indian Ocean cables.

The Cocos to Perth telegraph was cut, but it was picked up and jointed in this small boat.	In 1916 a German landing party from the German cruiser Emden raided and ransacked the company station on Cocos island. The operator at the station was able to send an SOS message which was responded to by the Australian cruiser HMS Sydney.

See Also
Second World War Eastern Telegraph Company Cable & Wireless and the British Empire