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Table of Contents

War History of the Australian Meteorological Service

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: D.Met.S.—Australia's Wartime Weather Service

Chapter 2: The Weather Factor in Warfare

Chapter 3: Met in the Retreat

Chapter 4: Met in the Advance

Chapter 5: Meteorology in Aviation

Chapter 6: Central Forecasting Services

Chapter 7: Met With the Army

Chapter 8: Research and Personnel Training
Radiosonde Personnel
Chemical Warfare Experiments
Training of Outside Personnel
Miscellaneous Training and Lectures
Civil Air Lines' Trainees
Compilation of Notes and Manuals
Meteorological and Climatic Reports
Coastal and Seaward Areas
Enemy Occupied Areas
Training Statistics

Chapter 9: Instrumental Development and Maintenance

Chapter 10: Scientific Developments in the RAAF Meteorological Service

Chapter 11: Divisional Bureaux and Their Work

Appendix 1: List of Reports Provided by D.Met.S. for Advances Operational Planning and Other Purposes

Appendix 2: List of Service Personnel RAAF Meteorological Service

Appendix 3: List of Civilian Personnel Who Worked Together with Service Personnel of the RAAF Meteorological Service

Appendix 4: List of Locations at which RAAF Meteorological Service Personnel Served


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Compilation of Notes and Manuals

A logical outcome of the preparation of lecture notes for training classes in weather forecasting was the collection of these notes into book form for easy handling and reference. It was intended that personal issue of the notes to subsequent trainees would assist them in their work, while they would also be valuable to practising forecasters for reference purposes. As already stated, the first forecasters' course was conducted during 1937—and at the conclusion, Mr Treloar, with the help of Mr L. J. Dwyer, revised and amplified the lecture notes and bound them as Principles and Practice of Forecasting.

Between October 1940 and March 1941, the RAAF Manual of Meteorology was compiled by Mr Dwyer, assisted by Fl Lt H. Newell, in order to serve as syllabus and reference in the training of pilots, navigators and air observers at service flying schools, air observers' schools and operational stations. Then followed Calculation of Upper Air Pressure, which appeared in early 1940, designed to set out the standard working practice, which was frequently requested by the Army proof experimental section for purposes of fuse testing.

In late 1940 and early 1941 various syllabi were prepared, mainly from the RAAF Manual of Meteorology, to provide for the successive stages of training air crew, conforming to the existing Empire air training scheme, but in July 1943 alterations were made and the syllabi of courses extended to cover nine categories of training schools—ATC, ITS, EFTS, SFTS, AOS, ANS, OTU, OS and Gas School. These at first were compiled in great detail, but subsequently modified into more general terms and the number reduced.

In April 1942 Notes on Cloud Observations by Pilot Balloon Theodolite was produced for training purposes, and in July, Instructional Course for Meteorological Assistants. Into the latter went notes that had been prepared for the first meteorological observers' course in 1938, together with various additions and modifications developed during training. An addendum to this volume, relating to local and standard times, was issued in March 1943.

Several more volumes appeared during 1944. In February, Handbook of Meteorological Cooperation with Artillery was published, representing a development of instructional notes for the use of meteorological staffs when called upon to provide data for artillery units that were first drawn up in 1937 by Messrs Hogan (1896–1970) and Cornish, but revised, enlarged and printed in book form, with working pro formae, by Messrs L. J. Dwyer and P. Squires in 1941. These same officers also had compiled a companion work, Handbook of Meteorological Cooperation with Sound Ranging Units, that was printed in 1941.

In March 1944 Sqn Ldr Forder, chief instructor in meteorology at D.Met.S. headquarters, collected notes on subjects developed by him during several years of instruction to trainee weather forecasters and bound them in one volume entitled Analysis and Forecasting in the South-West Pacific Area, which is regarded as a companion and extension to Principles and Practice of Forecasting, while in May 1944 Meteorological Handbook for Pilots and Navigators was selected as a suitable work for use in training these men. This was a reproduction of an English publication, and work on a supplement in which modification of parts to suit southern hemisphere conditions was commenced. It was printed in June 1945.


Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Directorate of Meteorological Services (D.Met.S)

People in Bright Sparcs - Cornish, Allan William; Dwyer, Leonard Joseph; Forder, Douglas Highmoor (Doug); Hogan, John; Squires, Patrick; Treloar, Harry Mayne

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Haldane, T. 1997 'War History of the Australian Meteorological Service in the Royal Australian Air Force April 1941 to July 1946', Metarch Papers, No. 10 October 1997, Bureau of Meteorology

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