The Signal unit was raised on 15th January 1946 in Port Dickson in Malacca on the same day as the Tijger Brigade. And was first placed at Charley Beach. The first members of the unit was former POWs coming from Thailand and consisted of a radio and a telephone platoon.

Beside participation on an exercise radio net the radio operators were tout about the radio WS-22 by English instructors. The Signal unit was transferred to Semarang together with the rest of the Brigade on 9th March 1946 and was stationed in the district Tjandi.

Directly after their arrival the small unit was filled with personnel so by the end of the year it was up on the strength of KNIL personnel, which it was supposed to. Leader of the unit was on the paper a vdg. Koot from the Army. He cannot have had much influence on the daily work of the unit. Most of it went on in the subunits, which was led by Sgt. Scheffer and Kruk. Later the Command was taken over by Captain Flucks from the Army.

The radio platoon was reinforced with among others the Suriname sergeant Terlingen, Corporals Pingoen and Smit together with soldier 1st class Oroh. To their disposal they had the following radios SCR-399, WS-19 HP/CV, WS-19/jeep and a few WS-22. First the permanent installations were set up as shown in figure 24. First the WS-22 was used for this purpose but later it was the WS-19.

In the clearings operations, which followed the Communication, unit was called on for (early) mobile connexions. First they tried to use the radios WS-18 and WS-48 but they functioned in no way. Then they tried with the WS-22 made portable in bags and on carriers. It continued to be difficult to use in the terrain by the personnel in the Infantry, which it had to follow until used, could be done of prisoners of war.

Later on a construction to carry it on horses would be made on the initiative of Capt. Flucks. This did not function either since the horses got upset when walking near obstacles and damaged the apparatuses. When they came to a rice field the animal and apparatuses sank deep in the mud. Then with a lot of difficulties the personnel had to try to drag them up again. This made an end to making the radio WS-22 mobile unless in a vehicle.

The Telephone platoon was put unto strength too. They had to their disposal the telephone apparatuses Tele L, Tele F and EE-8, the centrals UC-6, UC-10, F&F, BD-96 and the line gear RL-31, RL-39, DR-4, DR-8 and Quad-cable. The telephone connexion was put together as shown in fig. 24 and the radio connexions functioned. The centrals on the Battalion command stations were original of the type UC-6 and UC-10. 

In the end of December 1946 the Signal unit was reinforced by the Army. For the radio platoon it meant an extra burden since sergeant Scheffer and soldier Kramer had to divide their time between their original work and the training of new radio operators.

During the 1st Police Action the T-Brigade got the task to break out in a W, S and E direction with as end goal Weléri, Salatiga and Demak. Semarang itself was taken over by a Territorial Command with 4 battalions. The primary attack went in a southern direction and it was here the Signal unit was concentrated. It is most certain they were reinforced with personnel among others soldier L. Schram.
During the advance the radio combinations WS-19 HP/CV and WS-19 HP/jeep was put to use as shown in fig. 25. About the results it is known that they were not good enough; this is not strange since barantennes, ground waves and high mountains were asking for problems. About the radio connexions in the final phase it is only known that they looked as shown in fig. 25.

First the Telephone platoon laid a line of Quad-cable from Semarang to Salatiga. Here a military central was installed of the type BD-96. Then lines were laid to the different units of the Brigade in the region. It is estimated that it was made to at least the three Battalion command posts as shown in fig. 25. The line of Quad-cable was later replaced by a line running from the PTT central in Semarang to the PTT central in Salatiga. Originally this was made possible by the cooperation between the Signal unit of the B-Division and the Signal unit of the T-Brigade working towards each other from respectively Semarang and Salatiga respectively.

After the 1st Police Action the Headquarter of the T-Brigade was moved to Salatiga. From then on they only operated in this area. The connexions as shown in fig. 25 continued with the change that the telephone connexion from Semarang was not connected directly to the central of the T-Brigade but through the PTT central in Salatiga. Although this period with the Army and older militia draftees went well. It was easy to get the idea that the KNIL element had become huge especially by the radio platoon. This together

with the fact that the T-Brigade operated in the middle of the area where the TNI resistance was best organised. The radio connexions were essential because the telephone lines were cut all the time. A big advantage was that they now had the reliable radio installation SCR-284. 

In the start they got support from the Signal unit of the B-Div. At first in the use of 1st Lieutenant C. de Vries who came from this unit, who should have been transferred to Captain Flucks. Then some radio operators were transferred from the Signal unit of the B-DIV to the Signal unit of the T-Brigade as can be seen in the personnel list. These persons were trained at ROS and DLvbdd with the mark “Battalion Radio Operators”. It is known that van Atapari, Limahelu, Stolting and Pieters served at Battalion command stations (among others l-15 R.I.) before being transferred to the Signal unit of the T-Brigade. Beside this there were some older militias who volunteered to become professionals like the brothers Manic. As a last remark reinforcements came from people originating from other units and the Basic school and was transferred to the unit like Sgt Broekhuizen, M. Bakker and Jetten. As Company commander was chosen Captain (Army) Brandts.

During and after the 2nd Police Action the following personnel from KNIL participated in the operations together with the Army. From the airbase Kalibanteng Sergeant Major Kruk, Corporal Davidson and the soldiers J, M. Manak, H. Hanak and Koop were transferred to Djocja. Here they got the responsibility for installing a central and laying out lines. For this soldier L. Schram was employed as driver/line maker. For a short period soldier Stolting was employed with a radio installation SCR-399 (mobile) to hold contact with HMS Tjerk Hiddes in the Indian Ocean. Sergeant Broekhuizen was afterwards employed in Semarang, Djoca and Solo. Soldier Brohet was employed in Salatiga and Corporal Kramer as station commander in Djoca and Magelang.

During the 2nd Police Action it was unlikely that a good reputation with the Signal unit from the V-Brigade. Among others it is known that Corporal van Zuylen from this unit served in Salatiga. After the disbandment of the T-Brigade it is not known what become of the personnel from KNIL. Incorporation in the Signal unit of the V-Brigade is a possibility.

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