RAAF Meteorological Service
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Weather Factor in Warfare
Chapter 2: Establishing and Developing the RAAF Directorate of Met. Services (D.Met.S)
Chapter 3: Recruiting and Training of Personnel
Chapter 4: Meteorology in Aviation
Chapter 5: The Met. Retreating
Papua New Guinea and New Britain
The Netherlands East Indies and Malaya
Escape from Timor
Northern Australia—1942
Chapter 6: The Met. Advancing
Chapter 7: The Met With the Army and the Navy
Chapter 8: Divisional Offices of the Bureau of Meteorology During the War
Chapter 9: Research and Instrumental Development
Chapter 10: The End, Aftermath, and Beyond
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
References
Index
Search
Help
Contact us
The Netherlands East Indies and Malaya (continued)
Hannay narrated that he and his party managed the journey to Oosthaven, first by motor truck and then on foot. 'We stayed at Batoerajah where negotiations with the Dutch police for further motor transport failed—and those with the native stationmaster succeeded.'[49] The party managed to get on one of the last trains to Oosthaven. Thence, Hannay and his party eventually found their way to a place with the incredible name of Tandjoenpriok. On 23 February 1942 they departed for Australia in MV Deucalion, a cargo ship carrying about 400 RAF, RNZAF and RAAF personnel. The vessel leaked and developed a marked list to port. After being missed by a torpedo, the ship reached Fremantle on 3 March 1942.Australian servicemen were scattered and separated from their units everywhere, so devastating was the confusion caused by the impact of the enemy. It was natural that they joined any convenient group heading for Australia. Hannay amused me by revealing that at his last roll call he had 73 men in his party after starting out with 50.
The meteorological sections at Ambon and Namlea were disestablished with the evacuation of those RAAF bases on 30 January 1942 as the Japanese relentlessly advanced.
In the next two months the Met. men wended their way southward as best they could with brief rests at places such as Sembawang, Banjiwangi, Tandjoenpriok, Palembang, Oosthaven and Bandoeng. All personnel reached Australia safely.[50]
People in Bright Sparcs - Hannay, Alexander Keith (Keith)
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Bureau of Meteorology |  |
© 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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