A PERSONAL HISTORY OF H.M. NAUTICAL ALMANAC OFFICE
30 October 1930 - 18 February 1972
PART 3. AT BATH 1939-1949 Chapters 7-11
The work of the Office expanded still further during the war when it took on extra non-astronomical work and later acted as the centre for the Admiralty Computing Service. After the war Sadler developed a strong relationship with the Nautical Almanac Office at the U.S. Naval Observatory that led to major changes in the publications as well as to cooperation in their production. Finally, the Office moved to temporary buildings in the grounds of Herstmonceux Castle, which had become the new base of the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
| Chapter 7 | Early days at Bath (before move to Ensleigh) |
| My billets in Bath | |
| Initial work in Bath | |
| Mathematical tables | |
| Wartime astronomical projects | |
| Black-out times and repayment work | |
| Ryde night-illumination diagrams | |
| The astrograph | |
| Coriolis effect | |
| Twilight for air navigation | |
| Non-astronomical work of the Office | |
| Bomb Ballistic Tables | |
| A job for Massey | |
| Security at Laggan and war service | |
| Life in war-time | |
| A storm at Bath | |
| Bombing of Hammond's printing works | |
| Chapter 8 | From the move to Ensleigh until the end of the war |
| The move to Ensleigh | |
| The bombing of Bath in 1942 | |
| Staff changes | |
| Duties of the staff | |
| Calculating and punched-card machines | |
| Specialist course for air navigation | |
| Relations with the Royal Air Force | |
| Computations for the DECCA Navigation system | |
| A personal note | |
| Chapter 9 | The Admiralty Computing Service |
| Preamble | |
| The beginning of the Admiralty Computing Service | |
| The first job - on the Taylor bubble | |
| Recruitment of staff | |
| Range and background of A.C.S. jobs | |
| Chapter 10 | The post-war period (to about the end of 1947) |
| A visit to Germany | |
| The post-war period in Bath | |
| Post-war changes in staff | |
| Formation of the Mathematics Division at N.P.L. | |
| Captain Schmidt and Decca for Denmark | |
| Cooperation with the Spanish Almanac Office | |
| The Star Almanac | |
| The Institute of Navigation | |
| Honours | |
| Other events of the post-war period | |
| Chapter 11 | Major changes in the post-war period |
| Visit to the U.S.A. in 1947 | |
| Revision of the Abridged Nautical Almanac | |
| Tables for marine navigation | |
| Further comments on tables for navigation at sea | |
| New equipment and other topics of discussion | |
| The return journey from the U.S.A. | |
| The General Assembly of the I.A.U. in Zurich in 1948 | |
| Concern as to the future site of the Office | |
| The new Scientific Civil Service | |
| A search for a 'celestial mechanic' | |
| Other staff changes | |
| Planetary Co-ordinates | |
| The move to Herstmonceux | |
| Download | PART 3. AT BATH 1939-1949 pages 57-98; 246 Kbytes |
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