Athanasius Treweek

Who was Athanasius Treweek?

Major Athanasius Pryor "Ath" Treweek was an Australian academic, linguist and code-breaker. He was the son of Walter Henry Treweek who came to Australia in the mid-1890s and Mary Treweek.

After attending St Ignatius' College, Riverview, where he was dux in 1928, "Ath" Treweek won the 1932 Cooper Scholarship for first place in Latin and Greek examinations conducted by the University of Sydney, eventually going on to become a Professor of Classics at that very same institution.

In 1937, in anticipation of impending war, he had taught himself to read Japanese. Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, he was seconded from the Australian Army to FRUMEL in Melbourne which was linked to the American Sixth Fleet. He was part of a team instrumental in breaking Japanese naval codes. A Japanese success there would have been a major blow for the Allies. Decoded signals following the battle confirmed the Japanese had lost four aircraft carriers. This ended Japan's offensive capability: from then on, its strategy was defensive. It was the turning point.