On-The-Roof Gang
Class #8
Class #8 convened on 1 May 1932 and graduated on 2 July 1932. Chief Radioman Malcolm “Felix” Lyon was the instructor.
Radioman Second Class Sidney Addison “Sid” Burnett
Sid Burnett graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Hawaii. He was quickly transferred to Station BAKER in Guam, where he was first exposed to the Model DT HFDF equipment. He became an expert in HFDF and specialized in this discipline for the remainder of his career. He was listed in the third and final group of evacuees from Corregidor Island in April 1942 on board USS Seadragon. During World War II he earned advancement to Warrant Officer and served as the HFDF Chief at Moorabbin and Adelaide River collection sites in Australia. He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer.
Sid Burnett as a young Sailor in Guam and later in his career as a Chief Warrant Officer.
You can read about Sid Burnett in both On-the-Roof Gang, Volume I – Prelude to War and Volume 2 – War in the Pacific.
Burnett was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
3 Jan 1933: Little Wailupe, T.H.
06 Jan 1934: Guam, M.I.
17 Jan 1935: [unaccounted for]
13 Jan 1936: Heeia, T.H.
06 Jan 1937: Heeia, T.H.
12 Jan 1938: Washington, DC
09 Jan 1939: Navy Dept.
14 Feb 1940: 14th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: 14th Naval District
(Transferred to Station CAST at Corregidor Island, Philippines before the start of the war.)
Burnett’s obituary was printed in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 21, Fall 2000, page 26:
SIDNEY A. BURNETT
CWO2 Sidney Addison Burnett, USN (Ret) passed away on 10 July 2000 in hospital in San Diego California. A memorial service was held on 17 July 2000. At the wish of the family, his ashes were spread at sea.
Sidney Burnett was born on 17 July 1907 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He joined the Navy on 10 August 1927 and underwent training at Newport, Rhode Island and Hampton Roads, Virginia. He was assigned to the USS WYOMING (BB- 32) in 1928 and USS ARKANSAS (BB-35) in 1931. Sid started his cryptographic service in 1932 at the Navy Department Building in Washington, DC as a member of the “On-the-Roof” Gang. He was a member of Class 8 from 1 May until 2 July 1932. He was transferred to Heeia, Hawaii after which he was reassigned to Corregidor in the Philippines. On Corregidor he operated one of the few “new” equipments called HFDF.
Chief Burnett was a member of the last group of radio intercept personnel to be evacuated from Corregidor on !lie USS SEADRAGON to Perth, Australia. He then was assigned to the Fleet Radio Unit (FRU) Moorabbin and its' detachments at Adelaide River and Cooktown in Queensland. After promotion to CWO2 he entered the Fleet Reserve in 1947. He was married to his wife Dolores on 10 October 1937. They are due parents of one son and two daughters. As a civilian he served the US Navy Civil Service Undersea Warfare Division from 1952 until 1974 at which time he retired with 47 years of federal service.
Sid contributed “Intercept Station C from Olongapo through the Evacuation of Corregidor" a period from 1929 until 1942. Additionally, to celebrate the anniversary of Pearl Harbor it was decided to depict a major field station on a large plaque. Corregidor was selected and Chief Burnett was asked to submit a drawing of the tunnel to NAVSECGRUDET Crane, Indiana who would have the plaque made. In addition to a drawing of Tunnel AFIRM he also included a drawing of Fortress Corregidor showing both the location of Tunnel AFIRM and of Malinta Tunnels. Naval Weapons Support Center Crane made three plaques.
On 5 December 1981 two plaques were presented to Naval Officers, one to Admiral Bobby R. Inman and one to Rear Admiral Paul W. Dillingham. The third plaque was presented to Sidney Burnett.
Mr. Burnett donated his Corregidor plaque to the Wenger Museum in Pensacola and it has become a popular item of the Corregidor and Guam story board.
Pertinent data:
Born: 17 July 1907
Location: Springfield, Massachusetts
Died: 10 July 2000
Location: San Diego, California
Radioman Second Class R. P. Clifford
Clifford graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station S in Astoria, Washington. He was removed from radio intelligence duties and nothing more is known about this Sailor.
Clifford was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
23 Feb 1932: Astoria, Ore.
03 Jan 1933: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
06 Jan 1934: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
17 Jan 1935: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
13 Jan 1936: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
06 Jan 1937: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
12 Jan 1938: [not accounted for – possibly “expunged”]
09 Jan 1939: Discharged
14 Feb 1940: Discharged
24 Feb 1941: Discharged
Radioman Second Class Carl Laverne Congdon
Congdon graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Hawaii, with follow on assignments in Guam, Washington, DC, and the Philippines.
Carl Congdon in Guam circa 1939 and in Corregidor in 1941
Congdon was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Little Wailupe, T.H.
06 Jan 1934: Guam, M.I.
17 Jan 1935: Guam
13 Jan 1936: {expunged text}
06 Jan 1937: {expunged text}
12 Jan 1938: {expunged text}
09 Jan 1939: Navy Department
14 Feb 1940: 16th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
Obituary printed in the Citizen’s Voice (Wilkes Barr, PA) on 9 March 1982
Pertinent data:
Born: 28 December 1907
Location: Waverly, New York
Died: 8 March 1982
Location: Dallas, Pennsylvania
Interment Location: Maple Grove Cemetery, Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania
Radioman Third Class Prescott Hunt “Pres” Currier
Pres Currier graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station CAST in Olongapo, Philippines. There he taught himself the Japanese language, attaining such proficiency as to attract attention from the other formally-trained Japanese language officers there. They believed his translations were too good for a self-taught linguist and believed he was receiving “outside help.” The Navy transferred him to Washington, DC for investigation, where they found out his skill was real and that there was never any compromise of classified information. On expiration of his enlistment, he was offered a civil service position with OP-20-G and a commission in the Naval Reserve. He served throughout the war and afterwards, eventually attaining the rank of Captain.
. 
Pres Currier as a young Sailor in Olongapo and later in his career as a Captain
You can read about Pres Currier in On-the-Roof Gang, Volume I – Prelude to War.
Currier was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Olongapo, P.I.
06 Jan 1934: Olongapo, P.I.
17 Jan 1935: Olongapo, P.I.
13 Jan 1936: Washington, DC (Naval Reserve)
06 Jan 1937: Discharged
12 Jan 1938: Discharged
09 Jan 1939: Discharged (LTjg USNR)
Captain Currier’s obituary was printed in the NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 16, Winter 1995, page 15:
PRESCOTT H. CURRIER
Prescott H. Currier, Captain. U.S. Navy, Retired, OTRG, NCVA. died recently. After enlisting in the Navy, Captain Currier attended "On-the-Roof' radio training in Washington, DC graduating with Class #8. During an illustrious career in Naval cryptology, he served at, among other locations: Station “C” in the Philippine Islands, Washington, DC in the Office of the Director of Naval Communications (OP-20-G), at Naval Security Group Headquarters and in the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI); Armed Forces Security Agency, Arlington Hall Station; Kamiseya, Japan (Commanding Officer 1952-54); and at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland. He retired from active service in 1963. At the time of his death, he was living in Damariscotta, Maine.
Possibly one of the more significant of Captain Currier's accomplishments during his career was his trip to England in January 1941 in which he and later-Rear Admiral Robert B. Weeks, along with Army representatives Abraham Sinkov and Leo Rosen, delivered American devices for the analysis of Japanese Purple cryptographic system. They also received from the British the "paper analog" of the Bombe which was then being employed against the German Enigma system.
Pertinent data:
Born: 4 June 1912
Location: Holbrook, Massachusetts
Died: 12 January 1995
Location: Amherst, New Hampshire
Interment Location: Saint Andrew’s Memorial Garden, Newcastle, Maine
Radioman Second Class Victor Lawton “Deacon” Long
Deacon Long graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station HYPO in Hawaii. After tours in the Philippines, Guam, Washington, DC, and Hawaii, he found himself at. Station CAST on Corregidor Island, Philippines, at the outset of World War II. He was listed in the first group of evacuees from Corregidor Island in April 1942 on board USS Seadragon and served at the collection site at Moorabbin, Australia.
. 
Deacon Long in Guam in 1937 and in the Philippines in 1941
Long was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Little Wailupe, T.H.
06 Jan 1934: Olongapo, P.I.
17 Jan 1935: Guam, M.I.
13 Jan 1936: Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I.
06 Jan 1937: {expunged text}
12 Jan 1938: {expunged text}
09 Jan 1939: RMS Bellevue, Washington, DC
14 Feb 1940: 14th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
Pertinent data:
Born: 24 December 1909
Location: Oklahoma
Died: 21 March 1964
Location: San Diego, California
Interment Location: Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego, California
Radioman Third Class Joseph Liggett “Mac” McConnel
McConnel graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station BAKER in Guam. After follow-on assignments at Station S in Astoria, Oregon and Station HYPO in Hawaii, he found himself on Corregidor Island, Philippines at the outset of World War II. He was listed in the third and final group of evacuees from Corregidor Island in April 1942 on board USS Seadragon. During the war, he was commissioned and served at both FRUMEL Australia and FRUPAC Hawaii. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander.
McConnel was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Guam, M.I.
06 Jan 1934: Guam, M.I.
17 Jan 1935: Guam, M.I.
13 Jan 1936: Guam, M.I.
06 Jan 1937: Astoria, Ore.
12 Jan 1938: Astoria, Ore.
09 Jan 1939: 13th Naval District
14 Feb 1940: 14th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: 14th Naval District
Pertinent data:
Born: 4 August 1911
Location: Jefferson Park, Colorado
Died: 14 October 1993
Location: Napa, California
Interment Location: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii
Radioman Third Class John Hampton “Gus” Roop
Gus Roop graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station CAST in Olongapo, Philippines. After follow-on assignments at Washington, DC, and Guam, he found himself back in DC when the Japanese attacked pearl Harbor. He eventually retired as a Chief Warrant Officer after thirty years of active service.
Roop was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Olongapo, P.I.
06 Jan 1934: Olongapo, P.I.
17 Jan 1935: Olongapo, P.I.
13 Jan 1936: Washington, DC
06 Jan 1937: Washington, DC
12 Jan 1938: Washington, DC
09 Jan 1939: Guam, M.I.
14 Feb 1940: Guam, M.I.
24 Feb 1941: Navy Dept.
Pertinent data:
Born: 20 August 1903
Location: Virginia
Died: 21 June 1971
Location: Radford, Virginia
Internment Location: Sunrise Burial Park, Fairlawn, Virginia
Radioman Second Class Richard “Dick” Willis
Dick Willis graduated from On-the-Roof Gang Class #8 in January 1932 and was assigned to Station CAST in Olongapo, Philippines. After this initial assignment, he completed tours in Washington, DC and again in the Philippines before being assigned to work for Joseph Rochefort in the Combat Intelligence Unit in Pearl Harbor. Hawaii. During the war, he deployed on Radio Intelligence Units to provide direct support to Task Force commanders while at sea. He earned advancement to Warrant Officer and retired after the war.
Dick Willis in Cavite Naval Base, Philippines, circa 1939
Willis was identified at the following locations on the OP-20-G Annual Reports of Radio Intelligence Personnel:
03 Jan 1933: Olongapo, P.I.
06 Jan 1934: Olongapo, P.I.
17 Jan 1935: Olongapo, P.I.
13 Jan 1936: Washington, DC
06 Jan 1937: Washington, DC
12 Jan 1938: Washington, DC
09 Jan 1939: CINCUS
14 Feb 1940: 16th Naval District
24 Feb 1941: Asiatic Station
CWO3 Richard Willis’ obituary was published in NCVA’s Cryptolog magazine, Volume 23, Fall 2002, page 30.
RICHARD WILLIS
CW03 Richard Willis USN(Ret), NCVA member and member of the “On-the-Roof” Gang Class 8, died as a result of an automobile accident. Mr. Willis had a long and interesting career with the Naval Security Group. He joined the Navy in 1924 and after basic training he served on the Asiatic Station including Los Baños. Philippines (NPO). In 1929 he was transferred to Point Loma CA (NPL). In June 1931 he served with Commander Battleship Division One in USS IDAHO, USS MARYLAND. USS NEW YORK and USS TEXAS.
Mr. Willis began his Security Group service in April 1932 when he was assigned to Washington, .D.C. for duty with OPNAV. He attended school "On-the-Roof” of the old Navy Department Building. In June 1932 he was assigned as a radio operator in Olongapo and Mariveles, Philippines. In May 1935 he was back on the roof of the Navy Department building where he served as a Communications Security Monitor. During this period he also attended Radio Materiel School.
In June 1938 he was back in the battleships where he served as Chief in Charge of intercept units aboard USS PENNSYLVANIA, USS TENNESSEE, USS MISSISSIPPI and USS CALIFORNIA. In August 1938 he was assigned as Chief in Charge of Station-C, Cavite, Philippines. In November 1910 Ids duties included DF work at Fort Mills in the Navy Tunnel on Corregidor. He was next assigned to Commandant Fourteenth Naval District Pearl Harbor. At this time he was assigned as Chief in Charge of a six-man intercept unit on USS LEXINGTON (Task Force 15) during the strike against the Gilbert Islands.
In December 1943 he was assigned as an instructor at NAVRADSTA Bainbridge Island, Washington where he remained until May 1946. He next was assigned to NAVRADSTA, Recife, Brazil where he remained until July 1918. He returned to Headquarters in Washington D.C. in July 1948. His nest assignment was with NAVCOMMUNIT 37 on Okinawa where he served as Officer in Charge. He retired in September 1951. The Willis family made their home in Tucson, Arizona. His wife Elizabeth survives him.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor while working in the basement of Com14, a Commander Moore came to Petty Officer Tony Ethier and Chief Willis and told them to go to the building where the firearms were located and return with firearms to Com14. The reason they were selected, according to Mr. Willis, was that he (Willis) knew where the building was located and Ethier had a car, a convertible no less. They made the trip to the armory and returned to Con14 without incident despite the fact that huge amounts of debris off all kinds literally filled the air above them. Mr. Willis said that he had never forgotten that “day to remember.”
Pertinent data:
Born: 30 December 1904
Location: Ironton, Ohio
Died: 5 May 2002
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Location: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California
