Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Sylvia Margaret Barry (née Dwyer) WAAAF Aircraftwoman, WWII

Full Name: Sylvia Margaret Dwyer (later

Sylvia Barry)

Date of Birth: 13 July 1917

Place of Birth: Watchem, Victoria

Enlistment: 3 September 1941, Melbourne, VIC

Service Number: 90137 (as Dwyer); changed to 350191 upon marriage to John Barry

Marriage: 1 942, Melbourne (Victoria BDM

Reg. No. 51 55)

Discharge: 29 March 1946

Rank on Discharge: Aircraftwoman

Service Overview and Timeline

Initial Training and Early Service

           3 September 1941: Enlisted in the

Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) in Melbourne under her maiden name, Sylvia Dwyer, Service No. 901 37.

           Early 1 942: Undertook administrative and clerical training at School of

Administration, noted as "Sch Admin" on her record, under Authority 21 AST (Case) — likely No. 21 Air School (Training).

Cypher and Wireless Telegraphy Postings  8 June 1942 - Melbourne W/T Station

           Authority: PZI 03/2/6

           Duties: Cypher

           Posted to the Melbourne Wireless Telegraphy Station, beginning specialist cypher work. This role involved encoding and decoding secret military messages.

           19 July 1942 - Brisbane W/T Station

           Authority: POR M/2

           Transferred to the Brisbane Wireless Telegraphy Station, continuing signals and cypher duties supporting the growing

Allied command structure in Queensland.

           5 August 1942 - Allied Air

Headquarters (Brisbane)

           Authority: AAHQ 4/42

           Duties: W/T Station (Wireless

Telegraphy)

           Assigned to Allied Air Headquarters, Brisbane, the central communication and intelligence hub for the South-West Pacific. This posting placed her directly within the highly secret signals intelligence network later known as the "Garage Girls."

Service Under Married Name

           Late 1942: Married John Barry in

Melbourne. Her service records were amended to Sylvia Barry, and a new service number, 3501 91, was issued.

           21 March 1943 - HQ RAAF

Command, Brisbane

           Authority: AFCO 44/43

           Continued in communications and intelligence duties under Headquarters RAAF Command. This unit coordinated operational communications across the Pacific theatre.

Demobilisation

           30 July 1945 - 3rd Personnel Depot (3 RD.)

           Authority: 3 RD. 358

           Duties: "45 Pending Termination RPP" (Release Pending Personnel Pool)  Posted to 3rd Personnel Depot as the war concluded, preparing for discharge.

           29 March 1946: Discharged

honorably as Aircraftwoman Sylvia Barry, with service conduct described as very good/excellent.

Connection to the "Garage Girls"

Sylvia's posting to Allied Air Headquarters, Brisbane, in August 1 942, confirms her direct involvement with the secret communications network known today as the "Garage Girls." These WAAAF women worked in a repurposed garage building near Brisbane's city centre, handling encoded messages vital to Allied strategy in the Pacific.

Her role as a Cypher and Wireless Telegraphy (W/T) operator placed her among the earliest Australian women to work in classified intelligence — encoding and decoding top-secret messages sent between Allied commanders, including those of General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters.

Historical Significance

        One of the early women to enlist in the WAAAF, joining within months of its formation.

        Served continuously from 1941 1 946 in cypher and communications intelligence roles.

        Her work supported high-level operations across the South-West Pacific Area Command (SWPA).

        Her service record provides a documented link to the "Garage Girls", whose cryptographic contributions

remained secret for decades.

        Represents the vital, often unacknowledged role of Australian women in wartime intelligence and communications security.

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