A001305 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Corporate Body created 2001-08-20 human Ailie Smith; Ken McInnes updated 2026-04-22 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/A001305b.htm CA 640 corporateBody Optical Munitions Panel AACR2 Scientific Instruments and Optical Panel Advisory Committee on Scientific and Optical Instruments 1944 1944 June 1940 November 1945 Start Place Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Location Melbourne, Victoria Defence Industries Advisory or Regulatory Body The Optical Munitions Panel was established in June 1940, during the Second World War, to urgently address the need for Australia to independently design and produce optical lenses for munitions. The Chair of the Panel was T. H. Laby, until he resigned in 1944 due to ill-health. Kerr Grant then became chairman, until the Panel was disbanded in November 1945. The Secretary of the Panel was James Rogers, who later wrote its official history. Between July and December 1940 the Panel met six times, then every two months until it was disbanded. The Panel held a total of thirty-two meetings. Near the end of the war its name was changed to the "Scientific Instruments and Optical Panel" in an unsuccessful attempt to widen and continue the Panel's work after the war. Sayce, Eric Loxton (1899 - 1984)

Served on the Panel, 1940 - 1945, managing its work through the Munitions Supply Laboratories, Melbourne.

 McAulay, Alexander Leicester (1895 - 1969)

Served on the Panel, c1940 - 1945, as leader of the Optical Munitions team, University of Tasmania

 Gottlieb, Kurt (1910 - 1995)

Associated with the Panel, c1940 - 1945, through his work at the Commonwealth Solar Observatory, Mount Stromlo.

 Lord, Francis (1916 - 2010)

Associated with the Panel, c1940 - 1945, through his work at the Commonwealth Solar Observatory, Mount Stromlo.

 Schaefer, Gustav Griffin (1913 - 2004)

Associated with the Panel, 1940- 1945, through his design and analysis work at the Munitions Supply Laboratories, Melbourne

 Waterworth, Eric Newham (1905 - )

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1945, as Officer-in-charge of the Ministry of Munitions Annexe at the Physics Laboratory, University of Tasmania.

 Steel, William Howard (Beattie) (1920 - 2004)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - c1945, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 CSIR Physics Section, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (1939 - 1945) McNeill, John James (1916 - 1980)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1945. McNeill was in England during the Second World War, and assisted the panel as a major correspondent with Eric Sayce.

 Hartung, Ernst Johannes (1893 - 1979)

Served the Panel, 1940 - 1945, leading research into the production of optical glass, at the University of Melbourne.

 Hercus, Eric Oswald (1891 - 1962)

Served on the Panel 1940 - 1945, as the leader of the optical systems design team, at the Physics Department, University of Melbourne.

 Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich (1882 - 1972)

Served on the Panel, 1940 - 1945, managing its work through the Physics Department, University of Sydney.

 Hartnett, Laurence John (1898 - 1986)

Presided over the first meeting of the Panel, 1940, and had a guiding influence over the Panel's activities.

 Woolley, Richard van der Riet (1906 - 1986)

Served on the Panel, 1940 - 1945, managing its work through Mount Stromlo.

 Esserman, Norman Abraham (1896 - 1982)

Served on the Panel, 1940 - 1945, providing expertise in optics, and managing its work through the National standards Laborartory 1940 - 1945

 Law, Phillip Garth (1912 - 2010)

Assistant Secretary and later Acting Secretary, Optical Munitions Panel c1941 - c1945.

 Dooley, James Creswell (Jim) (1919 - 2004)

Served the Panel,1940 - 1944, through his work on optical munitions, at the Commonwealth Solar Observatory

 Williams, Sydney Ernest (1910 - 1979)

Associated with the Panel, c1941 - c1944, through his work as a Physicist at the University of Western Australia

 Kannuluik, Walter George (1894 - 1956)

Associated with the Panel, 1941 - 1942, as a physicist and researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Laby, Thomas Howell (1880 - 1946)

Chairman of the Panel 1940 - 1944, managing its work through the Natural Philosophy [Physics] Department, University of Melbourne.

 Rogers, James Stanley (1893 - 1977)

Served on the Panel, as Secretary 1941 - 1945, and was Secretary of the Panel's successor 1945 - 1946

 Grant, Kerr (1878 - 1967)

Served on the Panel,1940 - 1945, managing its work through the Physics Department, University of Adelaide. Vice-Chairman 1940 - 1944, Chairman 1944 - 1945.

 Rathgeber, Henri Daniel (1908 - 1995)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1945, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Ross, Alexander David (1883 - 1966)

Served on the Panel, c1941 - 1945, managing its work through the Physics Department, University of Western Australia

 Fenton, Arthur Geoffrey (1920 - 2008)

Associated with the Panel, c1942 - 1945, through his optical design work, at the Univerity of Tasmania. [under Professor McAulay]

 Frost, Herbert John (1910 - 1980)

Served on the Panel, c1941 - 1945, managing its work through the Munitions Supply Laboratories, Maribyrnong

 Willis, John Burnett (1920 - )

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1945, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Cruickshank, Fletcher Donaldson (1908 - 1990)

Associated with the Panel, c1940 - c1944, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Tasmania [under Professor McAulay]

 Blamey, Jack W. (1914 - 1986)

Associated with the Panel, c1940 - c1944, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Burhop, Eric Henry Stoneley (1911 - 1980)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1942, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Hopper, Victor David (1913 - 2005)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1945, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Richardson, Joseph Falding (1916 - 1989)

Associated with the Panel, 1942 - 1944, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Dryden, John Stuart (1921 - )

Associated with the Panel, 1942 - 1944, through his work as a researcher in optics at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Dean, Kenneth Geoffrey (1920 - 1993)

Associated with the Panel, 1940 - 1942, through his work as a trainee physicist and researcher in optical munitions at the University of Melbourne [under Professor Thomas Laby]

 Briggs, George Henry (1893 - 1987)

Served on the Panel, c1941 - 1945, managing its work through the Physics Section, National Standards Laboratory, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Trove

 'Optical Munitions Panel', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Optical Munitions Panel Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Article: The Giant's Eye: Optical Munitions in Australia Sutherland, Denise The Giant's Eye: Optical Munitions in Australia 1997 Australasian Science Spring Resource Section: The Optical Munitions Panel Sherratt, Tim; et al The Optical Munitions Panel Canberra Australian Science Archives Project 1997 The Giant's Eye: the Optical Munitions Exhibition A Bright Sparcs Exhibition Resource Section: Primary description of agency CA 640; Optical Munitions Panel. Registration of entity: 17 February 1983 Primary description of agency CA 640; Optical Munitions Panel. Registration of entity: 17 February 1983 National Archives of Australia 2002 RecordSearch Resource: Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Online Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre 2000