Air evacuation in war : the role of RAAF nurses undertaking air evacuation of casualties between 1943-1953

Air transportation of Australian casualties in World War II was initially carried out in air ambulances with an accompanying male medical orderly. By late 1943 with the war effort concentrated in the Pacific, Allied military authorities realised that air transport was needed to move the increasing numbers of casualties over longer distances. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) became responsible for air evacuation of Australian casualties and established a formal medical air evacuation system with trained flight teams early in 1944. Specialised Medical Air Evacuation Transport Units (MAETUs) were established whose sole responsibility was undertaking air evacuations of Australian casualties from the forward operational areas back to definitive medical care. Flight teams consisting of a RAAF nursing sister (registered nurse) and a medical orderly carried out the escort duties. These personnel had been specially trained in Australia for their role. Post-WWII, the RAAF Nursing Service was demobilised with a limited number of nurses being retained for the Interim Air Force. Subsequently, those nurses were offered commissions in the Permanent Air Force. Some of the nurses who remained were air evacuation trained and carried out air evacuations both in Australia and as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Australia became responsible for the air evacuation of British Commonwealth casualties from Korea to Japan. With a re-organisation of the Australian forces as part of the British Commonwealth forces, RAAF nurses were posted to undertake air evacuation from Korea and back to Australia from Iwakuni, Japan. By 1952, a specialised casualty staging section was established in Seoul and staffed by RAAF nurses from Iwakuni on a rotation basis. The development of the Australian air evacuation system and the role of the flight nurses are not well documented for the period 1943-1953. The aims of this research are three fold and include documenting the origins and development of the air evacuation system from 1943-1953; analysing and documenting the RAAF nurse’s role and exploring whether any influences or lessons remain valid today. A traditional historical methodology of narrative and then analysis was used to inform the flight nurse’s role within the totality of the social system. Evidence was based on primary data sources mainly held in Defence files, the Australian War Memorial or the National Archives of Australia. Interviews with 12 ex-RAAF nurses from both WWII and the Korean War were conducted to provide information where there were gaps in the primary data and to enable exploration of the flight nurses’ role and their contributions in war of the air evacuation of casualties. Finally, this thesis highlights two lessons that remain valid today. The first is that interoperability of air evacuation systems with other nations is a force multiplier when resources are scarce or limited. Second, the pre-flight assessment of patients was essential and ensured that there were no deaths in-flight.

Sakari Kukko - elämä, ura ja tuotanto : Pala suomalaisen populaarimusiikin historiaa vuodesta 1953 nykypäiviin

Pro gradu -tutkielmassani paneudun yhden suomalaisen populaarimusiikin toimijan elämään, uraan, tuotantoon sekä hänen käsityksiinsä musiikista ja musiikintekemisestä. Tutkimukseni on suomalaisen populaarimusiikin historian perustutkimusta Sakari Kukon henkilöhistorian kautta. Tutkimuskysymyksiäni ovat: 1. Kuinka Sakari Kukosta tuli muusikko ja musiikintekijä? 2. Minkälainen on ja on ollut hänen tapansa toimia? Vastaan edellisiin kysymyksiin, mutta sijoitan vastaukset myös ajallisesti suomalaiseen musiikki- ja yhteiskuntakontekstiin. Ongelmanasettelu tähtää siihen, että selvitän sekä Kukon omat sisäiset motiivit ja päämäärät muusikkona ja musiikintekijänä että hänen ympäristönsä tarjoamat virikkeet ja vaikutteet. Ongelman ratkaisemiseksi kartoitan hänen elämänvaiheensa lapsuudesta tähän päivään, ympäristöt, joissa hän on kulloinkin toiminut sekä ne yhteiskunnalliset tilanteet, joihin hänen ja hänen ympäristönsä toiminta on sijoittunut. Tutkimus sijoittuu vuosien 1953 ja 2003 väliselle ajalle. Kuvailen Kukon tuotantoa levy levyltä edeten kronologisesti vuosikymmenittäin. Lisäksi kokoan tuotannon yhteen ja etsin hänen säveltämästään, sovittamastaan ja esittämästään musiikista muutamia erityisen vahvoja elementtejä. Tuloksena esittelen kahdeksan kategoriaa, joista jokainen on yhdistettävissä hänen elämänvaiheisiinsa ja asetettavissa vuorovaikutukseen lähiympäristön kanssa. Tutkielmassani käytän apuna mikrohistoriallista tutkimusotetta, joka sopii mainiosti työni toteuttamiseen. Tutkimusaineisto on hyvin laaja ja monipuolinen, ja olen poiminut tietoja muun muassa lehtiartikkeleista, arkistoista, levyjen kansista, festivaaliesitteistä ja kirjallisuudesta; kaikista ei löydy edes mainintaa päivästä, vuodesta tai kirjoittajasta. Tärkein aineistoni on kuitenkin muistinvarainen tieto eli Kukon haastattelumateriaali. Mikrohistorialliseen tutkimusotteeseen nojaten olen päässyt Kukon henkilöhistorian kautta käsiksi hieman yleisemmänkin tason asioihin ja ilmiöihin. Olen selvittänyt muun muassa Kajaani Big Bandin vaiheita 1950-luvulta 1970-luvulle sekä suomalaisen pop/jazz -koulutuksen kehitystä erilaisista musiikkileireistä Sibelius-Akatemian oppiaineeksi samalla, kun olen selvittänyt Kukon kehitystä muusikoksi. Lisäksi olen esitellyt esimerkiksi studiomuusikkoutta 1970-luvun Suomessa sekä senegalilaisen musiikkielämän piirteitä 1970- ja 1980-lukujen taitteessa. Mikrohistorioitsija Carlo Ginzburgin johtolanka-ajatusta mukaillen olen koonnut pienistä tiedon palasista, johtolangoista kokonaiskertomuksen. Avainsanat: Sakari Kukko, Piirpauke, suomalainen populaarimusiikki, jazz, mikrohistoria, henkilöhistoria

Koko talo soi : Klemetti-Opisto suomalaisen musiikkikulttuurin kehittäjänä 1953-1968

This study aims to examine the operations and significance of the Klemetti Institute (Klemetti-Opisto) as a developer of Finnish music culture from 1953 to 1968 during the term of office of the Institute s founder and first director, Arvo Vainio. The Klemetti Institute was originally established as a choir institute, but soon expanded to offer a wide range of music courses. In addition to providing courses for choir leaders and singers, the Institute began its orchestral activities as early as the mid-1950s. Other courses included ear training seminars as well as courses for young people s music instructors and in playing the kantele (a Finnish string instrument) and solo singing. More than 20 types of courses were offered over the 16-year period. The Klemetti Institute s courses were incorporated into the folk high school courses offered by the Orivesi Institute (Oriveden Opisto) and were organised during the summer months of June and July. In addition to funding based on the Folk High School Act, financial assistance was obtained from various foundations and funds, such as the Wihuri Foundation. This study is linked to the context of historical research. I examine the Klemetti Institute s operations chronologically, classifying instruction into different course types, and analyse concert activities primarily in the section on the Institute s student union. The source material includes the Klemetti Institute archives, which consist of Arvo Vainio s correspondence, student applications, register books and cards, journals and student lists, course albums and nearly all issues of the Klemettiläinen bulletin. In addition, I have used focused interviews and essays to obtain extensive data from students and teachers. I concentrate on primary school teachers, who accounted for the majority of course participants. A total of more than 2,300 people participated in the courses, nearly half of whom took courses during at least two summers. Primary school teachers accounted for 50% to 70% of the participants in most courses and constituted an even larger share of participants in some courses, such as the music instructor course. The Klemetti Institute contributed to the expansion throughout Finland of a new ideal for choral tone. This involved delicate singing which strives for tonal purity and expressiveness. Chamber choirs had been virtually unheard of in Finland, but the Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir popularised them. Chamber choirs are characterised by an extensive singing repertoire ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. As the name suggests, chamber choirs were originally rather small mixed choirs. Delicate singing meant the avoidance of extensive vibrato techniques and strong, heavy forte sounds, which had previously been typical of Finnish choirs. Those opposing and shunning this new manner of singing called it ghost singing . The Klemetti Institute s teachers included Finland s most prominent pedagogues and artists. As the focused essays, or reminiscences as I call them, show, their significance for the students was central. I examine extensively the Klemetti Institute s enthusiastic atmosphere, which during the early years was characterised by what some writers described as a hunger for music . In addition to distributing a new tonal ideal and choir repertoire, the Klemetti Institute also distributed new methods of music education, thus affecting the music teaching of Finnish primary schools, in particular. The Orff approach, which included various instruments, became well known, although some of Orff s ideas, such as improvisation and physical exercise, were initially unfamiliar. More important than the Orff approach was the in-depth teaching at the Klemetti Institute of the Hungarian ear training method known as the Kodály method. Many course participants were among those launching specialist music classes in schools, and the method became the foundation for music teaching in many such schools. The Klemetti Institute was also a pioneer in organising orchestra camps for young people. The Klemetti Institute promoted Finnish music culture and played an important role in the continuing music education of primary school teachers. Keywords: adult education, Grundtvigian philosophy, popular enlightenment, Klemetti Institute, Kodály method, choir singing, choir conducting, music history, music education, music culture, music camp, Orff approach, Orff-Schulwerk, Orivesi Institute, instrument teaching, free popular education, communality, solo singing, voice production

1933-1953 German Jewish Children's Aid

The records of the GJCA relate to the entire range of activities involved in receiving and placing refugee children from 1933 through the 1950s. The later materials are records of the European Jewish Children's Aid. Activities included: maintaining the reception center in New Jersey; transportation arrangements; placement in homes; issuing affidavits and passports; granting scholarships; naturalization of children; setting of GJCA policy. By-laws, minutes, reports, correspondence and certificate of incorporation. Correspondence of executive officers, mainly Cecilia Razovsky, 1930s. Correspondence between William Haber and Lotte Marcuse, 1939-40. File of Dr. Solomon Lowenstein. Minutes of meetings of the Finance Committee. Field reports, inter-office memoranda, financial and statistical reports. Correspondence with organizations and governmental agencies: Society of Friends (Quakers) in Vienna; Israelitische Kultusgemeinde of Vienna; Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland; Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies; Department of Justice; New York State Department of Social Welfare; U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service; American Friends Service Committee; American Jewish Congress; B'nai Brith; National Council of Jewish Women. Correspondence with individuals: Max S. Perlman, William Rosenwald, Paul Felix Warburg. In addition to the general administrative records, there are thousands of case files.

Aaron Lopez papers, undated, 1752-1794, 1846, 1852, 1953.

Contains approximately 6800 manuscripts arranged chronologically by year for years 1752-1794. Approximately 100 are letters received or written by Lopez, his partner and father-in-law, Jacob Rodriguez Rivera, members of his family and company, and commercial agents pertaining to business activities and sailing orders for the captains of various ships. Several also refer to personal matters and acquaintances, including a series of six letters from Silas Cooke of White Hall (Middletown), R.I., to Aaron Lopez, asking his aid in returning a run-away slave (1776). The great majority of the collection consists of account records, bills of sale, orders, shipping agreements, lists of sailors on the various ships, repair records and cargo invoices. Of particular interest are a receipt for payment of a half-year's subscription to the "tzedakah" of Congregation Nefutzei Israel, Newport (1755) and several documents that reveal Lopez as a supplier of kosher meat and other religious articles to people in various parts of the colonies, Surinam, and Jamaica. Also included in this group are copies of sailing lists, documents pertaining to Lopez's naturalization which shed light upon the status of a Jew applying for citizenship in Massachusetts and a check to Lopez from the United States government for a loan made during the Revolutionary War (1779).

Sapientia, 1953, Vol. VIII, nº 28 (número completo)

Contenido: Intolerancia de la verdad y tolerancia del amor / La Dirección – Definición de la metafísica : sus dificultades y su posibilidad / Reginaldo Garrigou-Lagrange O. P. – La oposición estética forma-contenido / Manuel B. Trías – Ética de la subjetividad : en torno a la ética de G. Marcel y K. Jarspers /José Ignacio Alcorta -- Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

Sapientia, 1953, Vol. VIII, nº 30 (número completo)

Contenido: Filosofía y vida / La Dirección – Ensayo sobre la acción / J. H. Nicolás O. P. – Reflexión acerca del principio de identidad / José María de Estrada – La evolución del patriotismo en occidente / Raymundo Paniker – Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

Sapientia, 1998, Vol. LIII, nº 204 (número completo)

Contenido: El tiempo como medida de la primera esfera en la Física de Aristóteles / Marcelo L. Imperiale – Verdad, tiempo y justicia. Un tema de la filosofía de Anselmo de Canterbury / Ubaldo Pérez Paoli – La aportación de Tomás de Aquino a la filosofía de la justicia / Carlos Ignacio Massini Correas – Libertad y naturaleza: la voluntad como naturaleza y como razón según Tomás de Aquino / Guillermo Eduardo Spiegel Sosa – La representación como desvelamiento en Tomás de Aquino / Patrica Moya C. – Las condiciones de una nueva teoría del ente natural tras la condena de 1277. La Physica de Walter Burley y sus peculiaridades / Olga L. Larre – Gewibheit und Wahrheit. Descartes’ Grundlegung der Ersten Philosophie / Wilhelm Metz – La noción aristotélico-tomista de verdad y su interpretación en “El ser y el tiempo” de Martin Heidegger / Silvana Filippi – Subjetivistas radicales y hermenéutica en la escuela austríaca de economía / Ricardo F. Crespo – Examen de los principios de la bioética contemporánea predominantes / Camilo Tale – Sguardi sulla fine dei tempi e sulle cose ultime. A proposito Della struttura escatologica del cristianísimo / Vittorio Possenti – Naturaleza teleológica: articulación entre ser, deber ser y virtud / Jorge Peña Vial -- ¿Qué es un doctor de la Iglesia? / Francisco Canals Vidal – Anotaciones sobre la recepción y la crítica de la metafísica tomista en el pensamiento contemporáneo / Mario Enrique Sacchi – Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

[Discurso do Deputado José Fleury : Sessão da Câmara dos Deputados de 20 de maio de 1953]

Critica a demora do Ministro da Fazenda para a concessão de um crédito orçamentário necessário ao início dos estudos para a escolha da localização da nova capital da república, prevista na Lei n. 1.803, de 5 de Janeiro de 1953.

[Discurso do Deputado Galeno Paranhos : Sessão da Câmara dos Deputados de 17 de março de 1953]

Apresenta requerimento de informação dirigido ao Ministro da Viação e Obras Públicas, questionando a falta de providências necessárias ao início dos estudos técnicos para a escolha da localização da nova capital da república, prevista na Lei n. 1.803, de 5 de Janeiro de 1953.

A.L.O.A. (Asociación Limnológica y Oceanográfica Argentina ) Resumen de las Comunicaciones Presentadas en la Reunión del 11 de setiembre de 1953

Prosiguiendo con la política de rescatar documentos que, por diferentes motivos, se han extraviado con el paso del tiempo, el Programa para el estudio y uso sustentable de la biota austral (ProBiota) reedita el primer y único boletín de la Asociación Limnológica y Oceanográfica Argentina (ALOA). Esta asociación pretendía convocar a los hidrobiólogos argentinos, pero interrumpió su camino a poco de iniciado en el año 1953. Los motivos de ese hecho los desconozco; aunque personalmente creo que, entre otras cosas, debe haber influido el quiebre institucional de 1955 cuando se profundizaron nuevamente las heridas en nuestra sociedad. No deja de ser paradójico que hoy, a casi cincuenta años de este suceso, la Asociación Argentina de Limnología (AAL) se encuentre en una situación similar luego de veinte años de trayectoria que se cumplirían en el mes de marzo del próximo año. Hasta 1998, fecha de su último congreso, tuvo un gran impulso generando importantes eventos nacionales e internacionales. Sin embargo, a partir de allí fue decayendo con rapidez y hoy se enfrenta a su inminente disolución. A mi entender, la reversión de este hecho sólo podría lograrse sobre la base del sacrificio personal y del conjunto, solidaridad y, sobre todo, respeto a la memoria de todos aquellos que construyeron las bases de la limnología nacional.

Motor vessel "N. B. Scofield" cruise one of 1953. Cruise Report 53-S-1

(PDF contains 7 pages.)