Class 3 | ON-THE-ROOF GANG

On-The-Roof Gang

Class #3

Class #3 convened in November 1929 and finished in February 1930. Chief Radioman Harry Kidder, who designed the curriculum and helped to design and build the rooftop classroom, was the instructor.

Private First Class Charles A. Cameron

PFC Cameron graduated from OTRG Class #3 as the first USMC Marine Corps operator trained on the roof. Despite having completed the training, he was rejected by CNO for assignment to RI duty and was not assigned to an intercept station. During his schooling in Washington, his duties were listed as Navy Building Guard. Cameron was transferred back to the 87th Company, Signal Battalion on 5 February. On 6 February 1930 he was declared a deserter. His service record was forwarded to HQ Marine Corps and a $50.00 reward was offered.

Radioman First Class Ludolph George “LG” Guillet

LG Guillet graduated from Class #3 and was assigned to Station CAST and then Station S. He was assigned to the Radio Material School in Bellevue before transferring to the Naval Reserve in 1936. Before the war began, he was recalled to active duty, cross-rated to Yeoman and promoted to Chief. He eventually retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 2.

Photo of LG Guillet in Olongapo, circa 1931.

Guillet was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:

23 Feb 1932: Olongapo, P.I.

03 Jan 1933: RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC

06 Jan 1934: Astoria, Ore.

17 Jan 1935: Astoria, Ore.

13 Jan 1936: RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC

06 Jan 1937: [not accounted for]

12 Jan 1938: 8th Naval District (Naval Reserve)

09 Jan 1939: 8th Naval District (Naval Reserve)

14 Feb 1940: 8th Naval District (Naval Reserve)

24 Feb 1941: 8th Naval District (Naval Reserve)

Radioman First Class George W. “Red” Hopkins

Red Hopkins attended OTRG Class #3 and was assigned to Station CAST in Olongapo, Philippines. After a tour in the Research Desk, he was assigned to Mare Island, California, where he tested the experimental CXK-1 HFDF suite installed there. In 1938, he was assigned to Station CAST for a second time, before he retired to the Naval Reserve. He was recalled in 1940 and sent to work for Joseph Rochefort in the Combat Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor. During the war, he transferred to FRUMEL, Australia.

Two photos of Red Hopkins in Australia during the war

You can read about Red Hopkins in On-the-Roof Gang, Volume 1 – Prelude to War.

Hopkins was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:

23 Feb 1932: USS Houston

03 Jan 1933: RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC

06 Jan 1934: Washington, DC

17 Jan 1935: Washington, DC

13 Jan 1936: Mare Island, CA

06 Jan 1937: Mare Island, CA

12 Jan 1938: Station CAST, Cavite, P. I.

09 Jan 1939: 16 ND, P. I.

14 Feb 1940: 14 ND, Hawaii (performing cryptographic duties)

24 Feb 1941: 14 ND, Hawaii (performing cryptographic duties)

Radioman First Class Laurence Franklin “Larry” Myers

Larry Myers attended OTRG Class #3 Nov 1929 – Feb 1930 and was assigned to Station CAST in Olongapo, Philippines. After Radio Materiel School in Bellevue, Washington, DC, he was transferred to Station HYPO in Hawaii, where he helped move the site from Little Wailupe to Heeia. He then completed a tour at Station ABLE in Shanghai, China before transferring to Station S in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where he served during the war. He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer.

Photo of CRM Larry Myers in Shanghai, circa 1937:

Myers was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:

23 Feb 1932: Station CAST, Olongapo, P. I.

03 Jan 1933: RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC

06 Jan 1934: Heeia. T.H.

17 Jan 1935: Heeia. T.H.

13 Jan 1936: Astoria, Ore.

06 Jan 1937: Navy Yard, Cavite, P. I.

12 Jan 1938: Shanghai, China

09 Jan 1939: Fourth Marines

14 Feb 1940: CINC US Fleet

24 Feb 1941: 13th Naval District

Radioman First Class Daryl Wilkins “DW” Wigle

DW Wigle attended OTRG Class #3 and was assigned to Station BAKER in Guam. After a tour in Bar Harbor, Maine, he was assigned to Station ABLE in China as the Chief Radioman in Charge. There, he oversaw the move of the intercept site into the Fourth Marines Headquarters building in the International Settlement in Shanghai. He was next assigned to Washington, DC where he taught OTRG Classes #21-23 and then as the Chief Radioman in Charge of Station M in Cheltenham, Maryland. Notably, he was the supervisor on watch when intercept operator Sidney Burnett claimed to have copied the “Winds Execute” message, which would have indicated war with the United States. While Burnett swore that Wigle could corroborate the story, but Wigle never confirmed this. As the war began, he taught a katakana intercept class at Cheltenham that was called Class #25X. These men weren’t officially a part of the On-the-Roof Gang, but participated in the war as intercept operators, nonetheless. Shortly afterwards, he was assigned to Bainbridge Island to be the Officer in Charge of the newly established schoolhouse there.