Bundy WWII code breaker honoured

WAR veteran Ron Patterson got a medal from the British prime minister thanking him for his efforts during World War II which, until recently, were top secret.

A BARGARA war veteran got a surprise in the post this week — a medal from the British prime minister thanking him for his efforts during World War II which, until recently, were top secret.

Ron Patterson was a code breaker during the war, intercepting Japanese signals and decoding them.

“We had no idea what we were volunteering for,” he said.

“They told us we shouldn’t expect to come back, but it never really bothered us. We didn’t think too much about that.”

Mr Patterson was not allowed to divulge his job description until 40 years after the war had ended.

“We couldn’t tell anyone,” he said.

“Not even my wife knew and my parents died before I could tell them. We just told everyone we were wireless operators.”

During his time as a code breaker, Mr Patterson had many memorable experiences.

“We were responsible for bringing down Admiral Yamamoto,” he said.

“We got his timetable and they brought his plane down. We couldn’t even rejoice because the Japs didn’t let anyone know until much later.”

Admiral Yamamoto was responsible for the 1941 Pearl Harbour attacks and was on an inspection tour of forward positions in the Solomon Islands when he was shot down on April 18, 1943.

To cover up the fact the Allies were reading Japanese code, news agencies were told civilian coast-watchers in the Solomon Islands saw Yamamoto boarding a bomber in the area.

Mr Patterson was 18 years old when he joined the Royal Australian Air Force and was posted to several areas in his time as a code breaker.

“Probably my proudest moment was when we boarded the plane to Port Moresby,” he said.

“That was where our boys were fighting so we wanted to be with them.”

The Australian code breakers were a major asset in the war, with American General Douglas MacArthur specifically requesting the help of people like Mr Patterson.

“He wanted Australians because the Americans boasted too much,” Mr Patterson said.

Mr Patterson said it was nice to receive recognition for the vital work he and his colleagues did during the war.

“They couldn’t recognise us before because it was all top secret,” he said.

“It’s nice to get a medal now, though.”

Originally published as Bundy WWII code breaker honoured