Bruce Acland

CAHS Oral History

Bruce Acland (1920 - 2000)

Bruce Acland came from Sydney, and as a child and became interested the radio in the late 1920s. On leaving school, Bruce joined the PMG as an apprentice technician where he undertook formal training in electronics and Morse code. In 1939 he transferred to the Department of Civil Aviation and went briefly to Mascot before being posted to Darwin as an Air Radio Operator in 1940. By this time World War II had started and Darwin was bombed. Bruce received a King's Commendation for Brave Conduct in recognition of his work during the raid. Later he was tasked to travel around Australia to other Aeradio sites advising on air-raid precautions and teaching staff how to make emergency repairs to keep the equipment operating. In 1945, Bruce was an acting engineer and was responsible for selecting new operators to join DCA Aeradio.