On-The-Roof Gang
Class #13
Class #13 convened in April 1934 and completed in September 1934. Chief Radioman Guy Billehus was ordered to Washington, DC to be the new instructor, but Chief Harry Kidder remained to co-teach the class.
Radioman Second Class Albert G. “Al” Burton
Al Burton graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. After follow-on tours at Station S in Astoria, Oregon and Station BAKER in Guam, he was assigned to Station V on Samoa, where he was when the Japanese attacked across the Pacific. He received a commission, served beyond the end of the war, and eventually retired as a Lieutenant Commander.
Burton was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Station HYPO, Heeia
13 Jan 1936: Station HYPO, Heeia
06 Jan 1937: Station S, Astoria
12 Jan 1938: Station S, Astoria
09 Jan 1939: Station BAKER, Guam
14 Feb 1940: Station BAKER, Guam
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
Radioman Second Class Hilary Edward “Popeye” Cyr
Popeye Cyr graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO.
Hilary Cyr in Guam, circa 1937
Cyr was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Guam, M.I.
12 Jan 1938: Guam, M.I.
09 Jan 1939: Guam, M.I.
14 Feb 1940: Navy Dept.
24 Feb 1941: 13th Naval District
Hilary Cyr’s obituary was published in The Press-Courier (Oxnard, CA) on 4 December 1973
Pertinent data:
Born: 26 January 1904
Location: Cass Lake, Minnesota
Died: 2 December 1973
Location: Oxnard, California
Internment Location: Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Radioman Second Class Garwyn Samuel “Sam” Diehl
Sam Diehl graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO. He transferred to Station S in Astoria, Oregon in 1937 and was dropped from the OP-20-G rolls for disciplinary reasons.
Diehl was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: Astoria, Ore.
Garwyn Diehl's obituary from The South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Indiana) on 20 Sep 1972
Pertinent data:
Born: 23 February 1911
Location: Bryan, Ohio
Died: 19 September 1972
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Internment Location: Shiffler Cemetery, Jefferson Township, Ohio
Radioman Third Class Frank Edward Estes
Frank Estes graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. After a follow-on tour in Washington, DC, he transferred to Station CAST on Corregidor Island, Philippines, where he was when the Japanese attacked. He was listed in the second group of evacuees from Corregidor Island on board USS Permit in March 1942. In Australia, he was selected for a commission and retired at war’s end as a Lieutenant.
Estes was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: Heeia, T.H.
09 Jan 1939: Navy Dept.
14 Feb 1940: Navy Dept.
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
Pertinent data:
Born: 22 September 1909
Location: Tennessee
Died: 6 April 1977
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Internment Location: Memphis National Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee
Radioman Third Class Eugene Stanley “Colonel” Givler
Givler graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. After a follow-on tour at Station CAST in the Philippines, he transferred back to Washington, DC for duty, where he was when the Japanese attacked across the Pacific. In October 1942, he transferred via USS Mount Vernon to FRUMEL, Australia. He worked at the intercept site at Moorabbin for the duration of the war and retired afterwards as a Chief Petty Officer.
Chief Radioman Eugene "Colonel" Givler in an undated photo
Givler was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Guam, M.I.
12 Jan 1938: Cavite, P.I.
09 Jan 1939: 16th Naval District
14 Feb 1940: Navy Dept.
24 Feb 1941: Navy Dept.
Givler's obituary was published in the Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) on 30 Nov 1981
Pertinent data:
Born: 22 November 1906
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Died: 28 November 1981
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Radioman Third Class Charles Jefferson “Charlie” Johns
Charlie Johns graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. In 1938, he transferred to Bar Harbor, Maine. In 1940, he transferred to Station CAST in the Philippines, where he was at the outset of the war. He was listed in the first group of evacuees from Corregidor Island on board USS Seadragon in February 1942.
Charlie Johns in Corregidor, circa 1941
Johns was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: {expunged text}
09 Jan 1939: 1st Naval District
14 Feb 1940: 1st Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
The obituary for Charlie Johns was published in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 09, Winer 1998, page 12:
CHARLES J. JOHNS
“Charlie” J. Johns, 77, OTRG (On-the-Roof) Gang, Naval Security Group Pioneer, died 26 November 1987 of heart failure. Johns was a graduate of Class 13, OTRG in 1934. After earning Japanese intercept, he was ultimately ordered to Corregidor where he was evacuated by submarine on 4 February 1942. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1929 to 1949. Later serving 16 years at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. He retired to Cherryfield, ME in 1965, where he was active in the Baptist Church as well as serving as first selectman of Cherryfield for six years.
The obituary for Charlie Johns was published in the Evening Sun (Hanover, PA) on 27 November 1987
Pertinent data:
Born: 1910
Location: Georgia
Died: 26 November 1987
Location: Cherryfield, Maine
Radioman Third Class Wilson Leroy “Roy” Mason
Roy Mason graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. After four years in Hawaii, he transferred to Washington, DC to learn about high frequency direction finding technologies. He put those into practice in a short assignment at Bar Harbor Maine before he transferred to Station CAST in the Philippines. He was listed in the second group of evacuees from Corregidor Island on board USS Permit in March 1942. He worked at Moorabbin, Australia during the war, earning a commission to ensign. After the war, he retired as a Lieutenant Commander.
Roy Mason between 1940-41 on Corregidor Island
Mason was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: Washington, DC
09 Jan 1939: 1st Naval District
14 Feb 1940: 16th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
Roy Mason’s obituary was published in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 17, Summer 1996, page 23:
WILSON L. MASON
Lieutenant Commander Wilson L. "Red", "Roy" Mason, U.S. Navy Retired, NCVA, "On-the-Roof" Class #13, died in Lugoff, South Carolina on 3 June 1996. He was a veteran of WWII and the Korean War, and retired in 1959 after 30 years service. His awards included the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Navy Good Conduct Medal with four stars, Asiatic- Pacific Medal with one star, American Defense Medal with one star, United Nations Medal and Philippine Defense Medal.
Lieutenant Commander Mason is survived by his wife, Jemel, a daughter and a granddaughter.
Pertinent data:
Born: 22 June 1911
Location: Lugoff, South Carolina
Died: 3 June 1996
Location: Lugoff, South Carolina
Internment Location: Lugoff First Baptist Cemetery, Lugoff, South Carolina
Radioman Third Class Markle Tobias “MT” Smith
Markle Smith graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #13 in September 1934 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Heeia, Hawaii. After this assignment, he transferred to Bar Harbor, Maine, and then to Station BAKER in Guam. He was on Guam when the Japanese attacked and was taken prisoner along with seven other Sailors at Station BAKER. He spent the entirety of the war as a POW in Japan, earning the Silver Star and a commission to Ensign for his exploits in sabotaging Japanese military facilities. He was repatriated after the war and continued his Navy career at locations around the world. He was promoted to Commander the day before his retirement on 1 April 1957.
Lieutenant Commander Markle Smith at his retirement in 1957
Markle Smith is featured in On-the-Roof Gang, Volume 2 – War in the Pacific.
Smith was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
17 Jan 1935: Heeia, T.H.
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
6 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: Heeia, T.H.
9 Jan 1939: 1st Naval District
14 Feb 1940: 1st Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Guam, M.I.
Markle Smith’s obituary was published in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 07, Fall 1985, page 24:
MARKLE T. SMITH
Markle T. Smith, Commander, USN, OTRG, NCVA, N7BHT died 14 June 1985 in Arizona. Smith was born in April 1910; joined the Navy in 1930 and served on the USS Louisville from 1930 to 1934. In 1934 he was trained "On-the-Roof" in Japanese Intercept, Class #13. Smith served on Oahu, Hawaii; Winter Harbor, Maine, and Guam where he was captured by the Japanese and served the remainder of the war in a prison camp. Following 44 months captivity, he was stationed at Winter Harbor, he was Officer-in-Charge of the D/F Station at DuPont, South Carolina, then served at Port Lyautey, French Morocco, Hawaii and several fleet units. Before retirement he was also an aide to the Commanding Officer in Bainbridge, Maryland.
Pertinent data:
Born: 5 April 1910
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Died: 14 June 1985
Location: Mesa, Arizona