No special signal units existed in the Army in India in time of peace other than the small telegraph training squads of the Sappers & Miners. In 1904, Lord Kitchener, the Commander-in-Chief, had stressed the unsatisfactory nature of the signal arrangements in service in his scheme for 'The Preparation of the Army in India for War'. He had proposed that four telegraph companies, each 120 strong, should be formed. The formation of these telegraph companies was finally approved towards the end of 1908 but never implemented.

The manner in which the service of communications in the field was to be improved had been the subject of exhaustive discussion at Army Headquarters since 1904 but for want of funds and more particularly, the uncertainty as to what organisation would be adopted in England, had not  admitted of any definite proposals being formulated. Finally in May 1909, an advance copy was received of the report of a committee set up in England on the co-ordination of methods of communication etc. On receipt of this report, a committee was at once assembled at Simla to consider this paper and to report finally what organisation would be best suited to the requirements of India. The committee was presided over by Colonel J. Headlam, D.S.O., Officer in Charge Training and Staff Duties Subdivision of the Division of the Chief of the Staff.

MAJOR GENERAL S.H. POWELL, C.B.

The Father of the Corps

In an interim report, the committee recommended that the four telegraph companies sanctioned in 1908 should take the form of four divisional signal companies. The final report of the Committee was submitted on 26th August 1909 in which they recommended the addition of a senior staff officer to the Army Headquarters staff, to be charged with the study of the various means of communications in war and the co-ordination of the training of the units; the raising of separate signal units to be affiliated to the existing Corps of Sappers & Miners; the eventual provision of an army signal company for each line of advance; of a wireless signal company capable of maintaining communication between the commander on each line of operations and the advanced cavalry; and a signal company for each division of the Field Army. In view, however, of the financial situation, it was proposed that at the outset only four divisional signal companies and a wireless section should be raised and a staff officer be provided. It also advocated the abolition of the existing telegraph sections of the Sappers & Miners and of the two existing signalling schools and inspection staffs; it being felt that the commander of the divisional signal company, once these units were completely trained, could undertake the control of the visual signalling instruction of the units located in the divisional areas.

The Viceroy-in-Council accepted the proposals of the Committee in all respects. On 4^th August 1910, when forwarding the report to the Secretary of State for India in London, the Council stated that the Commander-in-Chief was anxious that the new organisation should be in full working order by the end of 1910-11. The final recommendation of the Council reads: "We are satisfied that the scheme put forward provides this important military service as economically   as possible and that its early introduction is essential to the efficiency of the Army for war. We  therefore strongly recommend it for Your Lordship's early sanction, which we shall be glad to receive by telegram so as to allow of the necessary preliminaries being put in hand.

It is particularly important that the staff officer to deal with these matters should be appointed as early as possible". The Secretary of State despatched the following telegram of 21st September 1910 to the Viceroy at Calcutta: "Your confidential despatch 87, dated 4^th August last. Signal companies. I sanction scheme".

On 21^st October 1910, Lieutenant Colonel S.H. Powell, R.E., was appointed General Staff Officer 1^st Grade in the Training and Staff Duties Directorate of the General Staff Branch at Simla under Brigadier General J. Headlam, the Director. Powell had been responsible for the first experiment in India to unite all means of intercommunication at manoeuvres in 1908. He had been recently appointed Commandant of the 1st King George's Own Sappers & Miners. The years that he had spent with the Sappers & Miners were his period of 'greatest service happiness' and the post of Commandant was the one which he cherished most. But before he took it up, he was moved to Army Headquarters. He put his heart and soul into the new task and the new service owes much to his work.

Sanction was accorded for the raising of four divisional signal companies and the nucleus of one wireless signal company. These units were to be Sappers & Miners units but the companies were not affiliated to the Corps of Sappers & Miners; they were to be independent units with no overall headquarters organisation. In fact, there was no connection between the Signal units and the Corps of Sappers & Miners.

By November 1910, the units had been designated 31 to 34 Divisional Signal Companies, Sappers & Miners and the commanding officers were appointed. These were: 31 Company, Captain H.S.E. Franklin, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs; 32 Company, Captain W.F. Maxwell, R.E. 3rd Sappers & Miners; 33 Company, Captain L.H. Queripel, 5 Royal Field Artillery; 34 Company, Captain R.G. Earle, R.E., 2^nd Queen Victoria's Own Sappers & Miners. Captain D.A. Thompson R.E. 1st King George's Own Sappers & Miners was appointed Officer Commanding 41 Wireless Company.

A conference was held at Simla in January 1911 between Powell and the company commanders where it was recommended that 31 and 32 Companies should be located at Fategarh, 33 and 34 Companies at Ahmednagar and 41 Company at Roorkee. This was approved and a Special Indian Army Order, was published on 3rd February 1911 on the subject of the organisation of the new Signal Companies. 31 and 32 Companies were to be raised on the 15th February; 33, 34 and 41 Companies on the 1st March. The establishment of the divisional signal companies was to be 5 British officers, 2 Indian officers (previous to 1936 V.C.Os. were referred to as Indian officers), 44 British and 86 Indian other ranks, including 8 recruits under training. Six horses were authorised for British mounted signallers and two ponies for Indian linemen. No other transport was authorised, the officers providing their own chargers.

Each company was to be a corps for purposes of enrolment, enlistment and discharge of Indian personnel. For the purposes of transfer and promotion, all the companies were to be grouped as regards British personnel; and as regards Indian personnel, companies in the two Armies were to be linked. The Army in India was then organised in two Army Commands; 31 and 32 Companies were allotted to the Northern Army and 33 and 34 Companies to the Southern Army. Promotions and transfers between companies were to be regulated by the Adjutant General in India. British officers of all arms of the Service were eligible for appointment to the signal companies for four years; during this time they were to be seconded from their regiments.

The companies were to be formed by transfers from British units to the non-departmental section of the India Unattached List and from Indian units to the several companies. Indian ranks from the Sappers & Miners, qualified in the trades laid down for a signal company could be transferred irrespective of their caste or class. The remainder were to be transferred from regiments of the Indian Army. Subsequent vacancies were to be filled in the same manner for British ranks but for Indian ranks recruits were to be enlisted.

The Corps of Signals is presently organised into Officers and JCOs/ OR. Unlike Officers who can be universally employed viz Communication, Administration etc, the other ranks are organised into various trades like Foreman of Signals (FOS)& Yeoman of Signals (YOS) etc. The other ranks are employed only within their respective fields. The Corps is organised structurally into various regiments and companies. Each brigade has a Signal Company commanded by a Major/ Lt Col associated with it, which are further under comd of divisions and Corps Signal Regiment, commanded by a Colonel.