Imperial Wireless Chain

The areas of the world that at one time were part of the British Empire. Current British overseas territories are underlined in red.

The Imperial Wireless Chain was a strategic international communications network of powerful long range radiotelegraphy stations, created by the British government to link the countries of the British Empire. The stations exchanged commercial and diplomatic text message traffic transmitted at high speed by Morse code using paper tape machines. Although the idea was conceived prior to World War I, the United Kingdom was the last of the world's great powers to implement an operational system.[1] The first link in the chain, between Leafield in Oxfordshire and Cairo, Egypt, eventually opened on 24 April 1922,[2] with the final link, between Australia and Canada, opening on 16 June 1928.[3]

  1. ^ Empire Wireless Papers Past, Evening Post (New Zealand), published 1923-04-23, accessed 2010-10-03
  2. ^ Wireless Service Papers Past, Evening Post (New Zealand), published 1921-11-21, accessed 2010-10-03
  3. ^ Beam Wireless Papers Past, Evening Post (New Zealand), published 1928-06-16, accessed 2010-10-03