The South African Army Signal Formation is a

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

History

The

South African Corps of Signals South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

was formed 1923. In 1940, the Signals Branch of the

South African Army College The South African Army College is a training unit of the South African Army. History Origin of military training in South Africa South African military training can be traced back to 1786 when the Militere Kweekskool was established by the ...

moved from the College to Potchefstroom where it became the Signals Training Centre, this name being changed to

School of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

in 1944. The School of Signals again became a branch of the college in 1946 and, in January 1947, it was once more moved to Potchefstroom, where it became a branch of the School of Artillery and Armour.Neville Gomm, The South African Army College, Military History Journal - Vol 2 No 3, cited in Leon Engelbrecht, A guide to the SANDF - unpublished manuscript, 2007, Johannesburg (http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=138&func=select&id=4), p.65 South African Union Defence Force Signals Corps Badge

SACS units included: **

71 Signal Unit (South Africa) 71 may refer to: * 71 (number) * one of the years 71 BC, AD 71, 1971, 2071 * 71'' (film), 2014 British film set in Belfast in 1971 * '' 71: Into the Fire'', 2010 South Korean film See also * List of highways numbered A ''list'' is any set of i ...

(2 Squadron, 1 Armoured Division Signal Regiment, S.A.C.S. from 1 Jan 56 to 31 Jan 1959) **

72 Signal Unit SACS 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

73 Signal Unit SACS 73 may refer to: * 73 (number) * one of the years 73 BC, AD 73, 1973, 2073 * ''73'' (magazine), a United States-based amateur radio magazine * 73 Best regards, a popular Morse code abbreviation * ''No. 73'', a British 1980s children's TV show *Ni ...

3 Electronic Workshop SACS 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies ...

1 Signal Regiment SACS 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

In April 1978 the Minister of Defence, Mr P.W. Botha, authorised the forming of 44 Signal Squadron SACS to support 44 Parachute Brigade. During the time of 24 September 1980 until October 1986, it supported the Brigade in all aspects of signals; e.g., the supply of communication and the manning of a Communication Centrum (Comcen). On 2 October 1986 44 Signal Unit was formed with Commandant Lombard as commander, and his task was to supply 44 Brigade with communication and to establish a full-strength signal unit. His second in command was Maj P. Drotsky and the RSM P. Snyders. In the late 1990s, the SA Department of Defence decided to group various environments together, elements, which it felt belonged together such as the environments of telecommunication, information technology (IT), registries, documentation services, libraries and electronic warfare, in other words, all forms of communication. This led to the establishment of the joint-service Command and Management Information Systems Division (CMIS Division) on 1 April 1999, its task being to deliver communications and info systems for the entire SANDF. The Corps of Signals left the command of the South African Army and was totally incorporated (personnel and all equipment) into the CMIS Division. On 28 March 2008, certain elements of CMIS Division migrated back to the various services. The South African Corps of Signals returned to the command of the South African Army as from 1 April 2008, to be known as the South African Army Signal Formation.

Structure of formation

References

{{SA Army Units Army units and formations of South Africa Military communications corps Military units and formations established in 1923