BRISBANE COMBINED OPERATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE CENTRE (COIC)
LOCATED IN GHQ SWPA
The Brisbane Military Phone Book for 1942 shows that the Brisbane Combined Operational Intelligence Center was located on the 8th Floor of the AMP Building, which also contained MacArthur's South West Pacific Area's GHQ.
Note that it was called the Combined Operations Intelligence Centre in the 1942 Military Phone Book rather than the Combined Operational Intelligence Center. It was called Combined Operational Intelligence Center in the 1944 Telephone Directory.
Brisbane COIC personnel were located as follows in the AMP Building:-
BRISBANE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY - DECEMBER 1942
Room 821
| Acting Director COIC | Captain J.C. Mullaly |
| Secretary | S/O P.S. Hood |
| Adjutant | P/O W.J. Morgan |
Room 822
| Staff Officer Navy Intelligence | P/Lt. G.J. Conner |
| P/Lt. T.F. Riddell | |
| Secretary | N. Steel |
Room 816
| Staff Officer Army Intelligence | Captain A.E. Ney |
| Staff Officer Air Intelligence | F/Lt A.S. Bradshaw |
| F/Lt. V. Wesche | |
| Secretary | S/O L.O. Mumford |
Room 812
| Duty Officer Supervisor | S/Ldr J.V. Wischer |
| P/Lt W.G. Somervaille | |
| Capt. H.G. Carpenter | |
| Collation Section | F/Lt. S.L. Prescott |
| Lt. R.W. Edwards | |
| P. Sub/Lt. Z. Cowan (later Governor General of Australia) | |
| Duty Navy Officer | P/lt. F.L. Bell |
| P/Lt. M.V. McIerney | |
| P. Sub/Lt. H.M. Sampford | |
| Duty Officer Army | Capt. H.S. Carmichael |
| Lt. R.W. Frederick | |
| Lt. L.D. Burton | |
| Duty Officer Air | F/O G.E. Reveleigh |
| F/O H.G. Johns | |
| P/O A.W. Rogers | |
| Continuity Officer | Lt. H. McAbee |
| Logging Desk | W.A.A.A.F. Personnel |
| W.A.A.A.F. Supervisor |
BRISBANE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY - MAY 1944
Room 816
| Director | Lt. Col. J.C. Mullaly (Aust. Army) |
| Secretary | Flt/O V.L. Ayers (WAAAF) |
| 2-i-C | S/Ldr J.V. Wischer (RAAF) |
Room 822
| Staff Officers: (Intelligence) | |
| Navy | Lt. Comdr. (Sp) G.J. Connor (RANVR) |
| Lt. (Sp) W.G. Somervaille (RANVR) | |
| Secretary: | S/O R.C. Truscott (WAAAF) |
Room 815
| Army: | Major J.G. Wilson (Aust. Army) |
| Capt. L.D. Burton, Jr. | |
| Air | S/Ldr. V.G. Wesche (RAAF) |
| F/Lt. C. Robertson (RAAF) | |
| Secretary | S/O A.G. Guy (WAAAF) |
Room 812
| Duty Officer Supervisors: | Capt. D.H. Hill (Aust. Army) | |
| Capt. A.E. Ney (Aust. Army) | ||
| Lt. (Sp) I.F. McLaren (RANVR) | ||
| F/Lt. J.W. Powling (RAAF) | ||
| Duty Officers: | ||
| Navy: | Lt. (Sp) W.H. Rice (RANVR) | |
| Lt. (Sp) R.J. Simmons (RANVR) | ||
| Sub/Lt. (Sp) D. Hartigan (RANVR) | ||
| Sub/Lt. (Sp) W.J. Meredith (RANVR) | ||
| Army: | Capt. E.C. Browne (Aust. Army) | |
| Lt. C.H. Bates | ||
| Lt. D.E. Bosworth | ||
| Air: | Capt. N.P.C. Coliver | |
| Lt. C.W. Weinberger | Guess who this is!! | |
| F/O A.L. Simms (RAAF) | ||
| Lt. B. Wall | ||
| Collation Section: | Lt. (Sp) F.L.S. Bell (RANVR) | |
| Capt. F.H.C. Maclagan (Aust. Army) | ||
| F/Lt. A.W.W. Rogers (RAAF) | ||
| Lt. (Sp) L.J. Austin (RANVR) | ||
| Logging Desk: | WAAAF Personnel | |
| WAAAF Supervisor: | Flt/O J.C. Darbyshire (WAAAF) |
David Young, son of Flight Officer Lilian Olive Mumford (351100), told me in December 2015, that his mother was originally part of the Combined Operational Intelligence Centre COIC when it was based in Melbourne in early 1942 when General Douglas MacArthur had his GHQ SWPA in the Trustee Executive & Agency Co. Ltd. building at 401 - 403 Collins Street, Melbourne. It is most likely that the Melbourne COIC was also in this building with General MacArthur.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank David Young for his assistance with this web page.
Can anyone help me with more information?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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This page first produced 25 August 2001
This page last updated 17 January 2020
