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
Chapter 9: Instrumental Development and Maintenance
Major Projects
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
Index
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Initial successful experiments in the determination of direction and velocity of upper winds, using Gun Laying Mark II fire control equipment, were conducted by the section late in 1941, with the assistance of officers of the RAAF Directorate of Signals and the cooperation of Anti-Aircraft Defences (Melbourne). This project necessitated the development of suitable reflectors for attachment to balloons, so that the radar waves would be effectively returned to the transmitting instrument and so enable tracing of the component's movement, but after experimentation, suitable types were produced during 1942 and in the following year 10 radar wind-finding stations were established.
Hydrogen Generators
Early in the war, a shortage of the metal cylinders used to contain hydrogen for use in filling balloons for meteorological purposes was felt, so that by 1941, with D.Met.S. stations using a large quantity of gas (it rose to 20 000 cubic feet during 1944), steps were taken by the instruments section to develop suitable hydrogen generators. In association with the Directorate of Technical Services, Fl Lt Martin successfully tested the first experimental high pressure generator in early 1942, which used a caustic soda/ferro-silicon process. This generator was developed from somewhat scanty information, but proved completely successful and 60 were ordered; by the end of 1944, 180 were in use at D.Met.S. stations throughout Australia and the South-West Pacific Area, enabling weather personnel to prepare their own hydrogen without reliance on outside sources.
A special, lightweight, low pressure generator also was designed and produced in quantity during 1944 for use by mobile meteorological flights operating with army formations. Incidentally, much equipment for these units was designed and produced by the instruments section, acting in association with Sqn Ldr L. J. Dwyer, Meteorological Liaison Officer to Land Forces.
Non-meteorological Equipment
Reference already has been made to the work on non-meteorological equipment undertaken by the section on behalf of the RAAF. This involved much highly technical work, especially so the type testing of aircraft instruments. Some of these instruments required 100 hours continuous detailed testing, so that with three samples of each type under review it is apparent that many man-hours on the part of skilled personnel were required. Some idea of the growth of this work is given by the following record of equipment type tested during the war years: 1942, 8 instruments tested; 1943, 82; 1944, 156; 1945, 112.
Another activity in this non-meteorological category lay in the training courses in optics instituted and conducted within the section during 1944 and 1945. Pupils were RAAF instrument makers, who subsequently were posted for duty with aircraft repair depots and aircraft depots.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Directorate of Meteorological Services (D.Met.S)
People in Bright Sparcs - Dwyer, Leonard Joseph
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
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