In November 1938, the Home Guard’s Time Signalling Service in Hungary played a crucial role in ensuring accurate and synchronised timekeeping across military and civilian operations. This service was vital for coordinating activities, particularly in an era when precise timing was essential for communication, transportation, and military movements.
Key roles and responsibilities of the Home Guard’s Time Signalling Service included:
- Time Synchronisation: Ensuring that all military units and important civilian institutions had synchronised clocks. This was critical for coordinated operations and avoiding miscommunication.
- Distribution of Accurate Time: Providing the official time to various sectors, including transportation (railways, postal services), government offices, and military units. This often involved the use of telegraph and radio signals to disseminate the accurate time.
- Maintenance of Timekeeping Instruments: Regularly checking and calibrating clocks and other timekeeping devices to ensure they remained accurate.
- Coordination with National and International Time Services: Liaising with national observatories and international timekeeping bodies to maintain the accuracy of the local time standard.
- Training and Oversight: Training personnel in the proper maintenance and use of timekeeping equipment and overseeing the implementation of time synchronization protocols.
There were a number of companies.
On November 14, the “time signal service” began its propaganda activities. In the process, transportation and communications were disrupted and leaflets were distributed in the Ruthenian area.
The 1. Time marking group: Vannay hdgy. Under his command, 2/3rds of the 2nd company went to Tiszakeresztúr, which is where Reserve Lieutenant Endre Kovacs set up the No. 1 time signalling station (one squadron) in Tiszaújhely, and the No. 2 signalling station (one squadron in Sálanka.
There were other time keeping groups as well.