World War II

The Evacuation of Malayan Survey Department Military Maps and Mapping Material from Singapore to Australia Feb 1942 — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified December 23, 2008 00:26

The evacuation of survey records from Malaya to Australia in 1942 is described by Brigadier Clough in four brief sentences on page 486 of his monograph “Maps and Survey - The War Office 1952”. A copy of the following account, on which Brigadier Clough may have drawn, has recently been discovered in the Rhodes House Library Oxford who have kindly given permission for its publication.

Field Survey Company Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified November 19, 2008 22:12

A short history of the Field Survey Company Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces

14 Map Reproduction Section RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified November 19, 2008 22:21

A short history of 14 Map Repro Section RE1943-45

518 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified November 26, 2008 20:25

 

Z Location or Survey in War — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified November 26, 2008 20:47

 

Maps and Survey — submitted by John Knight — last modified January 06, 2009 21:42

 

512 Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified December 15, 2008 19:57

Notes by Col Mike Nolan and Maj Alan Gordon

516 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified December 24, 2008 12:27

Notes on the history of 516 Field Survey Company RE

519 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified January 04, 2009 20:12

 

Special Charts and Publications produced by the Hydrographic Department Volume I (Text) Admiralty 1949 C.B. 3200A — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified January 06, 2009 21:03

Through the courtesy of the UK Hydrographic Office Taunton, and with concurrence of the National Archives, Kew, the Defence Surveyors’ Association has included the Technical Staff Monograph C.B. 3200A on its web site as a companion document to Maps & Survey, H.M.S.O. 1952. Maps and Survey records the work of the Geographical Section, General Staff in World War 2. C.B. 3200A similarly records the work of the Hydrographic Department in producing special operational charts and diagrams additional to its normal work of producing Fleet navigational charts. A companion volume of Specimen Charts and Diagrams is contained in Volume II. This is too large to scan but the contents are listed in Volume I and a copy may be consulted at Taunton or in the National Archives, Kew at ADM239/238. Volume I also is at ADM 239/237.

517 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified January 29, 2009 21:49

 

Harry Calder - 14 Company in the Falkland Islands 1942 — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified March 03, 2009 20:34

This article has been written as a result of telephone conversations between Col.M.Nolan and Harry Calder during 2007, from Barry Calder’s interviews with Harry (his father) in October and November 2007 and from a few documents now in the possession of Barry Calder.

Hydrography in WWII — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified March 17, 2009 18:24

HYDROGRAPHIC WORK IN WORLD WAR TWO. A concise account of the work of the Hydrographic Department in World War Two may be found in : - “M.O.D. Charts and Surveys in Peace and War - The History of the Royal Navy’s Hydrographic Service 1919-1970.” By Read Admiral R.O. Morris, CB. London. H.M.S.O. Crown Copyright 1995. First Published 1995. 280 pages. ISBN 0 11 772456 4. “The War Years” are covered in Chapter 5, pages 102-122. “Overlord and After” is covered in Chapter 6, pages 123-141.

520 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified March 22, 2009 17:14

Notes and photographs

521 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified April 02, 2009 19:30

 

522 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified April 14, 2009 17:55

 

523 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified April 14, 2009 17:56

 

515 Field Survey Company RE — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified May 28, 2009 19:51

 

Notes on GSGS Mapping in World War 2 — submitted by Peter Walker — last modified October 12, 2009 15:34

In preparation for the invasion of Sicily, which took place in July 1943, the Geographical Section, General Staff, War Office, London produced an ilustrated guide to the to the mapping situation in the Central Mediterranean theatre of operations entitled “Notes on the G.S.G.S. Maps of Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, 1 May 1943”. As the war progressed the G.S.G.S. produced further guides for subsequent theatres of operations, “Notes on the G.S.G.S. Maps of France, December 1943”, “Notes on the G.S.G.S. Maps of Germany, Denmark and Central Europe, March 1944” and “Notes on Maps of The Balkans, July 1944”. These guides followed a standard format. Part 1 consisted of a decription of all the operational GSGS series of the theatre at 1:1,000,000 scale and larger including map samples and map series indexes. Part 2 generally contained notes on the mapping of the various countries, notes on road classifications, availability of air photo cover, notes on grids and grid junctions, notes on map distribution and the state of reproduction material distribution. Appendices include Glosssaries of the topographical terms used in various countries and Gazetteers of geographical names appearing on medium scale series. Also often included are inserted large-format map series indexes and conventional signs cards. No such guides were available for the Western Desert, North African or Burma Theatres of operations. These wartime guides are an invaluable description of, and finding aid for, the general mapping situation and map series in use in various theatres in World War 2. Armed with the information they contain, the historian or researcher can, if required, seek appropriate series and sheets in the various archives and map libraries in which these maps may now be found such as The National Archives, The British Library, The Imperial War Museum, The Royal Geographical Society and University Libraries. To this end, the Defence Surveyors’ Association has included scanned versions of all four guides on the web site to assist researchers who may not otherwise have access to these publications.