Chapter 6: The Birth of the Instrument Section (continued)

We had acquired Standard instruments by this stage. I had been to the National Standards Laboratory and sorted a few things out there. We didn't manufacture instruments at that time but we had dozens of barometer frames in which the glass tubes had been broken. So we procured an accurate drawing of a barometer tube and arranged for Roly Mann (the glass blower at Selby's, who had a supply of pyrex tubing) to make dozens of empty tubes for us. These tubes were made to precise dimensions. We refilled the tubes with mercury and reinstalled them in their frames. With a great deal of effort we satisfied the demand for barometers which had grown considerably.

We set up our own mercury still, and soon had it running. We developed a technique to satisfactorily fill the barometers with mercury. We had a German Fuess Standard barometer with which we calibrated the barometers we had filled.

This was when Geoff Marshall suggested that we become an Air Force repair depot. Geoff was a test pilot with a university degree in mechanical engineering. He was running the Instrument Section inside the Division of Technical Services, Department of Air.

Geoff suggested that if our section became a repair depot he could assist in obtaining equipment. I don't think Warren was fully aware of the situation which was developing. When our section was recognised as part of the official repair depot of the Air Force our work started to grow.

The Air Force hired two floors at Shepherd House in Flinders Lane and equipped it. They also provided about 30 air force personnel who had the RAAF mustering of Instrument Maker which was not a meteorological mustering. This upset the apple-cart somewhat because these RAAF personnel wanted their four days a quarter leave as part of an Air Force establishment.

I could buy almost anything for the RAAF Meteorological Service by writing a minute to the equipment officer telling him we wanted certain items. He bought them and I acquired them for the RAAF Meteorological Service. These transactions did not appear in the RAAF Meteorological Service records.

Bureau of Meteorology