Richter Melva Charlotte

Fast Facts

Type of person	Individual
Also known as:	Melva Charlotte Mackereth
Date of birth	1920
Place of birth	Gawler
Principal occupation	Australian Women's Army Service
Date of death	2014

Gawler's connection to WWII code breakers at Bletchley Park (UK)

Click here to see photos of Melva Richter and images relating to her top secret WWII service.

Early Life

Melva Charlotte Mackereth was born in Gawler in 1920 and raised in her family’s home in the main street of Wasleys, one away from the General Store/Post Office. Her father Henry Thomas Mackereth was a Foreman at the Wasleys’ Railway Station and a returned WWI Gallipoli veteran (two of his brothers Harold James Mackereth and Sydney Roy Mackereth died whilst serving). In addition to Melva, Henry and wife Fanney Maria (nee Pendlebury) raised two other daughters. After the girls were grown, the couple moved to a 17 acre farm just north of Wasleys, where they kept a few cattle and numerous chickens.

Melva completed her early education at Wasleys' Primary School and then caught the train daily from Wasleys to attend Gawler High School (at the Lyndoch Road site). Following school, she worked as a postal clerk and telephonist at the Wasleys’ General Store/Post Office where she would have operated the magneto telephone and received and sent telegrams – skills which likely led to her selection for the role she played in WWII.

WWII – “No medals for this unit”

In 1942, aged 21, Melva enlisted to serve in WWII in the Australian Women’s Army Service and was sent to Bonegilla Army Camp, Victoria, for training. As an experienced driver, her reported role as a ‘Driver’ wouldn’t have surprised friends and family but for her and those she served with, being a ‘Driver’ was a cover story – she was actually being trained for the top secret Australian Special Wireless Group (ASWG) [The group photograph taken when Melva was training at Bonegilla shows most of the women to be ‘Driver’]. The unit were responsible for signals intelligence - intercepting, monitoring, and interpreting enemy radio communications, particularly Japanese signals, thus providing crucial intelligence for military operations. It is reported that one batch of recruits to this unit was told:

“Not only do you not exist, you never will have existed. There will be no awards, no glory. There will be no medals for this unit.”

Once she had signed secrecy documents and completed her training, Melva served as a Lance Corporal in the Australian Special Wireless Group in Western Australia; her role was to write down intercepted morse code messages as they came through, she would have been able to recognise if they were allied or enemy messages and even the “handprint” of individual morse code signallers. Intercepted messages were sent on to code breakers, those that couldn’t be deciphered in Australia were sent to United Kingdom code breakers at Bletchley Park and United States code breakers in Hawaii.

Whilst serving in WA, Melva regularly caught up with fellow Gawler local Joan Richter, who was serving in the Australian Women’s Army Service in the Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battery in WA. They went on to become sisters-in-law, when on 12 August 1944 Melva married Joan’s brother, Grayden Richter, whom she had known prior to enlisting. The wedding was held at St George’s Church in Gawler and both bride and groom are in their military uniforms in their wedding portrait.

Shortly after her marriage, Melva was discharged from the Army, which was a common occurrence as under Australian military regulations at that time, married women were not eligible to serve. She had completed 925 days of active service.

Declassification & Recognition

The secrecy documents signed by Melva and others in the Australian Special Wireless Group, meant they were not allowed to talk about their role to anyone, including their parents and spouses, even long after the war had ended. They received no military medals and their service was not acknowledged – Melva’s name does not appear on the Gawler WWII Honour Roll.

It was not until 2009 that the role of the Australian Special Wireless Group was declassified. At this time Melva received acknowledgement from the United Kingdom in the form of a gold Bletchley Park Memorial Badge inscribed ‘G C & C S 1939-1945 BLETCHLEY PARK & ITS OUTSTATIONS’ on the front and on the back ‘WE ALSO SERVED’ and a certificate from Rt Hon Gordon Brown (Prime Minister of United Kingdom) acknowledging her participation in the ‘Government Code & Cipher School’ [G C & C S Bletchley Park – Government Code & Cipher School – the top secret British organisation responsible for codebreaking during WWII]. Unfortunately by this time, Melva was living with dementia, so she was not able to fully appreciate the acknowledgements she received or to finally talk about her experiences with the Australian Special Wireless Group.

Post War Family & Farm Life

After the war Melva and Grayden Richter made their home at the Richter family farm at Reeves Plains, which operated as ‘M H & G Richter’ – after father Martin Henry & son Grayden. Melva took on the farm’s secretarial and bookkeeping roles, compiled the annual farm reports and managed the egg and dairy side of the farm. The couple welcomed three sons, Thomas, Robin Grayden and Vernon.

In the 1950s Melva would make the trip into Gawler on Fridays; first calling at Eagle Foundry [25 King Street] to place any orders (eg spare parts for farm machinery, which would be ready to pick up on the way home), then to Hogben’s Grocers [located in the Piles Building], followed by H T Brown’s Egg Factory [12 Murray Street] to drop off the eggs and pick up empty cases and then to Taylor Bros Butter Factory on Eighth Street to drop off the cream and pick up their cans from the previous week (the cream cans belonged to the farm and had brass plaques). Whilst dropping off the goods Melva would receive the cheques for the previous weeks eggs and cream which were cashed at the grocers. Much of the family’s meat came from the farm, but if they needed some beef or sausages she may stop at Warnest’s butcher [154 Murray Street – old B Music]. There was the Women’s Rest Center on the corner [156 Murray Street] if anyone needed to make a stop and lunch would be at Wall’s Bakery [The Top Shop – 149 Murray Street]. Occasionally there would be appointments at the Doctor at Victory Square [97-107 Murray Street] or the Martin’s Hairdressers, where Mr Martin offered men’s haircuts and Mrs Martin tended the ladies.

Like other members of the Richter family, Melva was actively involved with the Gawler Show, she “worked in the show office for many years and was a keen exhibitor in preserves and other sections”.

The family farm was sold around 1980; Grayden and Melva retiring to Gawler. They celebrated their 60^th Wedding Anniversary in 2004 and welcomed many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Melva passed away peacefully in 2014, aged 93, and is buried with her husband Grayden at St George’s Cemetery. Her WWII service is acknowledged on their memorial stone.

Mackereth Family Birth, Death & Marriage Information

MACKERETH Melva Charlotte (RICHTER)

b. 12 Dec 1920, Wasleys, SA (‘MACKERETH, Melva Charlotte’, Reg. Barossa 67A/440, father ‘Henry Thomas MACKERETH’ & ‘Fanney Maria PENDLEBURY’)

Enlisted 14 Apr 1942, Australian Women’s Army Service, WWII, Adelaide (‘MACKERETH Melva Charlotte’ SF 64857)

m. 12 Aug 1944 Grayden RICHTER, St George’s Church, Gawler (surname in service record updated to RICHTER)

• RICHTER Thomas (m. Maureen)
• RICHTER Robin Grayden (m. Gillian)
• RICHTER Vernon (m. Margret)

Discharged 24 Oct 1944, Australian Women’s Army Service, WWII (‘RICHTER Melva Charlotte’, Lance Corporal)

22 Aug 2004 60^th Wedding Anniversary

d. 2 Aug 2014, aged 93

Buried St George’s Cemetery, Gawler East (Plot K 38 – with husband Grayden)

MACKERETH Henry Thomas (Melva’s father)

b. 30 Nov. 1891, Freeling, SA (Reg. Barossa 492/103, father ‘Henry Thomas Mackereth’ & mother ‘Elizabeth Ann Stevens’)

Family resided Templers, SA (cottage still there)

Enlisted 6 Jan 1915 Australian Army WWI (residing Templers, farmer)

Discharged 10 Oct 1919 WWI

2 brothers died WWI (Harold James Mackereth & Sydney Roy Mackereth)

m. 1920 ‘Fanney Maria Pendlebury’, Vic (Reg. Vic 2167)

• MACKERETH Melva Charlotte (RICHTER) b. 1920
• MACKERETH Roma Joyce Mackereth (WOOLFORD) b. 1922
• MACKERETH Colina (BALDWIN)(adopted)

d. 11 Jan 1981, SA

Buried Willaston Cemetery, Willaston, SA (Plot 15 NN 1 – with wife Fanney)

Compiled by Nikki Wight - with thanks to Melva's son Robin Richter for providing information, photographs & documents.

References

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