RAOC Gazette - page 177
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
In 1944 the CIU absorbed a large American contingent and thereafter became the Allied Central Interpretation Unit for the remainder of the war. After ' VE D a y ' many of the photo- graphic interpreters served in the Far East and the Americans withdrew from the Unit which reverted to its former title. After the war, the strength of the CIU was drastically reduced and it moved from Medmenham to Nuneham Park, Oxfordshire, where it was later renamed the Joint Air Photographic Inter- pretation Centre. In 1953, as a result of an increase in establish- ment, the Unit was finally renamed the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre and later moved from Nuneham Park to new premises at Brampton in 1957. JARIC, although predominantly a Royal Air Force Unit, continues to reflect its joint service role and is staffed by mem- bers of the Royal Navy and Women's Royal Naval Service, soldiers of the Royal Engineers, the Intelligence Corps, our own Corps and the Women's Royal Army Corps, the Women's Royal Air Force and civil servants of the scientific and administrative grades. JARIC, administratively part of Strike Command of the Royal Air Force not only provide interpreted aerial imagery for targetting purposes but also for town and country plan- ning, pollution studies, accident and disaster investigations and has even assisted in the search for the Loch Ness monster! fox tjje FORTY UNBROKEN YEARS SERVICE OF THE Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre at the Royal Air Force Station Brampton, Huntingdon, celebrated its fortieth anniversary recently. The original Photographic Interpretation Unit was established in 1940 after Winston Churchill had urged the Air Ministry to form a specialised Unit to gain intelligence from aerial photography. Earlier, a civilian aerial survey firm—the Aircraft Operating Company—had interpreted high altitude photography covertly obtained by the freelance aerial photo- grapher, Sydney Cotton. Cotton's pictures of German naval bases, when interpreted, revealed so much detail that Mr Churchill insisted that the Aircraft Operating Company, with its specialised equipment, be placed on the Royal Air Force establish- ment. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY THE DGOS visited RA Ranges Benbecula recently as part of his visit to Scotland. The flight was made in a Piper Commanche charter plane, whose pilot, Captain J. E. McKerlie of Harrison Aviation Limited was celebrating his Silver Wedding Anniversary on that day. With some discreet staff work unknown to the pilot it was arranged to have champagne available at the end of the return flight into Edinburgh Airport. Our picture shows the DGOS proposing a toast to the pilot and the next ' twenty five years.' Corporal J . Kilby and Lance Corporal C. Hamilton of the Corps printing intelligence reports at J A R I C , RAF Brampton. The Photographic Interpretation Unit became the Central Interpretation Unit when an Army section and a Royal Navy liaison element joined the Unit later in 1940. Almost from its inception, the Unit has been organised on a joint service basis and has maintained this balance throughout its history. The Central Interpretation Unit outgrew the original premises at Wembley and moved to Danesfield House, beside the River Thames at Medmenham, in May 1941. The Unit played a vital role during the ' secret w a r ' ; it was directly involved in the planning stages of nearly every operation of the war and in every aspect of intelligence. The peak period of activity was the preparation for Operation Overlord, the Normandy landings, when the CIU supplied detailed information on terrain, beaches, enemy defences and locations and also prepared landscape models of target areas. The CIU achieved many successes; the identification and subsequent destruction of German radar and electronic systems, the detection of the Nazi V] and V2 secret weapons, the planning of bombing raids— including the Mohne dams raid—and the subsequent assessment of bombing damage, the selection of dropping and pick-up zones for the traffic of secret agents to and from occupied Europe, monitoring the movements of German naval Units, assessing the production capabilities of enemy industries, identifying the first German jet propelled aircraft, checking enemy transportation systems and providing information for Combined Operations and Commando raids on the coast of Europe. , — Photo Corporal Gray To the next twenty five years. A good start to Captain McKerlie's own celebrations later that evening. JUNGLE RESCUE STAFF SERGEANT RAYMOND PORTLOCK, a Scout heli- copter pilot with ' C ' Flight Detachment, 660 Squadron Army Air Corps, based in Brunei, has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air for conducting a particularly difficult casualty evacuation from the jungle. A jungle exercise was underway in the Labi area of Brunei. One late afternoon a freak storm hit the region and a student was badly injured by a falling tree branch. His injuries later proved to be fatal. Staff Sergeant Portlock, who had already completed four hours flying that day, was asked for assistance and within a few minutes was on his way to the jungle site. The weather forced him to fly at five hundred feet below heavy clouds and to avoid a thunder storm. Visibility was so bad in the Labi area he lost sight of the ground and had to climb to two thousand feet on instruments to clear a ridge. 138 — |
| Book number | R0404 |