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The History Group's Silver Jubilee

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The History Group's Silver Jubilee History of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography Special Interest Group Newsletter 2, 2009 A VIEW FROM THE CHAIR arranges meetings which are full of interest. We need especially to convince students that the The following review of 2008, by the Group’s origins and growth of the atmospheric and Chairman, Malcolm Walker, was presented at oceanic sciences are not only fascinating but the History Group’s Annual General Meeting also important. All too many research students on 28 March 2009. are now discouraged from reading anything Without an enthusiastic and conscientious more than ten years old and, moreover, do not committee, there would be no History Group. My appear to want to read anything that is not on thanks to all who have served on the committee the Web. To this end, historians of science are this past year. Thanks especially to our fighting back. A network of bodies concerned Secretary, Sara Osman, who has not only with the history of science, technology, prepared the paperwork for committee meetings mathematics, engineering and medicine has and written the minutes but also edited and been formed and our Group is one of the produced the newsletter (and sent you network’s members. An issue taken up by the subscription reminders!). She left the Met Office network during the past year is the withdrawal of in January 2008 and has since worked in the Royal Society funding from the National library of Kingston University. Unfortunately, she Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of now wishes to relinquish the post of Secretary Contemporary Scientists, which is based in the and is stepping down after today’s meeting. We Library of the University of Bath. I am sorry to thank her very much indeed for all she has done report that the representations of the network do for the Group during her time as Secretary, and not yet appear to have proved successful. that is, believe me, a great deal. Thanks also to The Group’s meetings are highlights of every our Treasurer, Mick Wood, who has once again year, no less 2008, when four excellent kept our accounts healthy. meetings were held, one in April, one in June, As I said at last year’s Annual General Meeting, the others in November. I am very keen to see a growth in membership • The meeting in April, held at Radley College, of the Group, and we have, indeed, welcomed was concerned with the history of public new members during the past year. Sadly, weather services. however, two people who have supported the • The meeting in June was held at the National Group for many years died during 2008. Jim Oceanography Centre, Southampton, on the Burton, who was the Group’s Treasurer for subject of the meteorology and physical many years, passed away on 30 July, and Alan oceanography of the Southern Ocean and Wall died on 15 September. Antarctic Edge during the 1920s and 1930s. It With 75 members at the end of 2008, we were was adopted by the Royal Meteorological the largest of the Royal Meteorological Society’s Society as a National Saturday Meeting. Special Interest Groups. But, as I said last year, • The first of the November meetings was a I should like to see a massive growth in Royal Meteorological Society National membership. When I talk to meteorologists and Wednesday Meeting organized by the Group. oceanographers, I find no lack of interest in the In this meeting, held at Reading University, history of their subjects, but why do not many we began with a talk about the classic papers more of them join our Group? Perhaps they do of Sir Gilbert Walker in the 1920s and 1930s not know exactly what our Group is for and what on teleconnections and the Southern it does. I ask you, please, to publicize the Oscillation and thereafter focused on Group’s work whenever and wherever you can. advances in knowledge and understanding of Repeating further what I said last year, I ask you climatic variability that have taken place since all, please, to spread the word that our Group is Walker’s day. This was the first of what we very active and well worth supporting and hope will be a series of ‘classic papers’ meetings. 1 • The other meeting in November was held at Thanks to Mick, the Group’s finances are in the Science Museum and was kindly arranged good shape. The Group began 2008 with a and hosted by Group member Jane Insley. balance of £1,889.01 and ended the year with We were treated to a private viewing of a £1,944.25, of which £27.69 was in the form of special exhibition concerned with the history cash, £97.76 was in a current account and of climate change studies. £1,818.80 was in a savings account. Many thanks to all who have organized, and Pat and Maurice Crewe were thanked most those who have spoken at, the Group’s warmly for auditing the accounts. meetings. Members of our Group also spoke in 2008: CONGRATULATIONS • at the Eighth International Congress on the History of Oceanography, held in Naples in Many congratulations to Dr Dennis Wheeler, the June; 2009 winner of the History Group’s Jehuda Neumann Memorial Prize. A Reader in • at the 42nd Maritime History Conference, held Geography in the University of Sunderland, in Exeter in September; Dennis has made many contributions to the • and a Royal Meteorological Society National history of meteorology, and some of his papers Saturday Meeting on Weather and have mirrored a style of paper very much Photography, held at Imperial College in favoured by Jehuda Neumann himself, viz. November. analyses of the significance of the weather in Three issues of the newsletter appeared in 2008 historical events. The prize will be presented at and we hope you found them interesting. The the Royal Meteorological Society’s Awards third one was a Silver Jubilee issue to mark the Dinner on Wednesday 1 July 2009. Group’s first quarter century. Do, please, send us snippets or longer pieces for the newsletter. We want it to be your newsletter. WELCOME As chairman of a Royal Meteorological Society A big welcome to Martin Kidds, who is now the Special Interest Group, I attend meetings of the History Group’s Secretary. Society’s Meetings Committee. I attended three An Assistant Librarian at the Met Office’s such meetings in 2008 and took every National Meteorological Library and Archive, opportunity to point out the importance of Martin was previously a Reference Librarian at historical context. Reading Central Library before joining the Met Office some eighteen months before the move to Exeter. Having said that, this was not his first THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING experience with the Met Office – his father was The AGM was held at the Royal Astronomical a forecaster and at an earlier stage in his career Society on 28 March 2009 and attended by Martin did a month's work experience at the eighteen members of the Group. Apologies for Library and Archive in Bracknell in 1996 when absence were received from three members. Maurice Crewe was librarian. Since 2002 he has been involved with development of the library Malcolm Walker was re-elected Chairman and catalogue with colleagues such as Geraldine Mick Wood was re-elected Treasurer and Vice- Edmond (now retired) and Sara Osman as well Chairman. Martin Kidds was elected Secretary. as being one of those who answers enquiries The following were re-elected committee from the public. Martin says: "I have enjoyed members: Margaret Deacon, Alan Heasman, enormously helping enquirers find information Joan Kenworthy, Julian Mayes, Howard Oliver, about our varied weather and climate and in David Pedgley, Vernon Radcliffe and Dennis doing so learning much about the fascinating Wheeler. Because they live so far from Reading history of the science of meteorology and the (where committee meetings are held), Margaret people who made it happen. There is always so and Dennis are rarely able to attend meetings in much more to learn, so I am looking forward to person. Thus, they are Corresponding Members playing an active part of the History Group and of the committee. Margaret also represents the passing knowledge on to others.” Challenger Society for Marine Science. 2 JOINT MEETING WITH THE SOCIETY declined but were, however, revived in the 19th FOR THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY century. Various short-lived astro-meteorological by Mick Wood societies were formed in the middle years of the nineteenth century, and so too were On Saturday 28 March 2009, we held a joint conventional meteorological societies, first the meeting with the Society for the History of Meteorological Societies of London (in 1823 and Astronomy in the rooms of the Royal 1848) and then, in 1850, the British (later Royal) Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Meteorological Society. Piccadilly, London. Forty-two attended. Notable among those who formed astro- The first presentation was given by Howard meteorological societies were R.J.Morrison Oliver, who in his talk Early aurora studies (whose pseudonym was Zadkiel) and and the work of John Dalton gave us another W.H.White (who served as Secretary of one facet in the life of John Dalton. Meteorological Society of London from 1836 to Aurorae have been observed and reported for 1843 and the other from 1848 to 1850). As many years and in ancient times caused astrology was declared illegal in the 1820s, consternation and awe. Aristotle thought they astro-meteorological societies had to appear to were caused by burning flames. Halley, who be astronomically-based. Many weather eventually saw the aurora in 1717 and 1719, predictions based on astro-meteorology and considered that the phenomenon might be part lunarism were published in almanacs and of the earth’s magnetic field and so should be Patrick Murphy published, in 1834, his Anatomy observed at both poles.
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