Difference between revisions of "Geologists at war, 1939–1945"

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The British were not alone in their use of geologists during the Second World War as these documents show.
 
The British were not alone in their use of geologists during the Second World War as these documents show.
  
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Walther Klüpfel was born at Heidelberg on 28 May 1888. He studied geology in Metz, Heidelberg, Berlin, Vienna and Strasbourg. He served in the First World War and was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class for his efforts in supplying the German troops on the Western Front with water. He was teaching at the University of Giessen when he was called up for military service in 1941. At first he was in charge of a cartographic unit stationed at Granville before being moved to Jersey in August 1941. His task involved producing a report relating to the geological structure of the island, its building material , mineral resources and water supply. These factors were an important part of the plan to fortify the Channel Islands. At the weekends Klüpfel relaxed from his military duties by undertaking private geological studies. He appears to have left Jersey around the time of the D Day landings in June 1944. After the war Klüpfel returned to the University of Giessen and later the University of Marburg. He died on16 September 1964.
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File:Geologists at war 023.jpg|thumb|'Technical Notes and Tables for Military Geologists', 1944 [No ref]
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File:Geologists at war 024.jpg|thumb|
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File:Geologists at war 025|thumb|'On the Geology of the Island of Alderney' by Dr Kluepfel [sic], c1941 [GSM/GX/CK/7/1]
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== Aftermath ==
 
== Aftermath ==
 
Even as the war continued, plans were drawn up for what work the Survey would be doing once peace finally came.
 
Even as the war continued, plans were drawn up for what work the Survey would be doing once peace finally came.

Revision as of 13:13, 26 August 2020

Under construction

Introduction

Like everybody else, geologists and their work were affected by the outbreak of World War II. This page shows some of these effects and the contributions made by geologists to the war effort. In addition to the subjects covered the Survey was involved in a wide range of activities such as advising the on the siting of military camps, aerodromes and storage depots (surface and underground), surveying for minerals in the UK, giving advice on where to get sand for sandbags and producing a series of wartime pamphlets.


Preparing for war

As the prospect of war grew more likely, arrangements were made for what would happen to the Geological Survey of Great Britain and its staff.

  • File: “Emergency War Measures – Disposal of Staff”, 1938-1943 [GSM/DC/W/13]

  • Memorandum relating to preparations for the possible outbreak of war, 1938 [GSM/DC/W/13]

  • Letter from E B Bailey to J Fox relating to the Survey’s chemical work in the event of war, 1939 [GSM/DC/W/13]

Home Guard

Like many others, members of the Geological Survey joined the Home Guard to defend Britain from possible invasion.

  • Kingsley Dunham's Defence Medal [KCD/A/3/2/4]

  • Kingsley Dunham’s Defence Medal [KCD/A/3/2/4]

  • Citation that was with the medal [KCD/A/3/2/4]

  • Citation that was with the medal [KCD/A/3/2/4]

  • Standing operational orders written by Kingsley Dunham, 1944 [KCD/A/2/5/1]

  • Home Guard instructions relating to enemy airborne troops, 1941 [KCD/A/2/5/3]

  • Geological Survey and Museum and London Regional Company of the Home Guard. The photograph features Edward Bailey amongst others, 1944. [GSM/DR/Sb/7/5]

  • The Company on parade and being inspected by Admiral Sir Edward Evans, 1941 [No ref]

Secret and confidential

Geologists from the Survey were involved in a variety of confidential and secret working during the war.

  • Report on Norwegian Industries and Mineral Resources produced by MI10 (weapons and technical analysis) c1941 [no ref]

  • Geologists at war 013.jpg

    Photographs from the report showing the Orkla and Eitrheim Works, Norway, c1941 [no ref]

  • Geologists at war 014.jpg

    Page from the report relating to Pyrites, c1941 [no ref]

  • File relating to desert dust-storms, 1941-1944 [GSM/DC/W/15]

  • Geologists at war 016.jpg

    Notes on Eastern Mediterranean dust-storms, 1941 [GSM/DC/W/15]

  • Geologists at war 017.jpg

    Geological Survey wartime pamphlet on water supply from underground sources in the East Yorkshire-North Lincolnshire District, 1944 [no ref]

  • Geologists at war 018.jpg

    Letter from C F Davidson to F B A Welch relating to a request by Naval Intelligence for geological information on Greece, 1943 [GSM/DC/W/5]

  • Geologists at war 019.jpg

    Welch’s reply to Davidson’s letter, 1943 [GSM/DC/W/5]

Bomb!

At 11:47pm on 10 September 1940 a German bomb damaged the Geological Museum at Exhibition Road, London. Edward Bailey in his book Geological Survey of Great Britain records that the bomb "broke half the windows" and a later near miss in 1941 "completed out [sic, probably meant our] deglazing."

  • Shrapnel and other debris from the bomb, 1940 [2008.8] [P711015]

  • Shrapnel from the bomb, 1940 [2008.8] [P711010]

  • Page from a draft report of the Geological Survey Board which mentions the bomb damage. This was deleted from the final report. 1941 [GSM/BD/A/55]

The other side

The British were not alone in their use of geologists during the Second World War as these documents show.

  • 'Technical Notes and Tables for Military Geologists', 1944 [No ref]

  • Geologists at war 024.jpg
  • Geologists at war 025

    'On the Geology of the Island of Alderney' by Dr Kluepfel [sic], c1941 [GSM/GX/CK/7/1]

Aftermath

Even as the war continued, plans were drawn up for what work the Survey would be doing once peace finally came.

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