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RAN Armament Depots - Useful Links and Resources
Web Links
Historic photographs of colonial powder magazines and RAN armament depots can be viewed on the Trove website operated by the National Library of Australia.
Or take a photographic tour via Flickr through the RAN armament depots of the mid-20th Century: RAN Armament Depot Photo Album
There are some videos hosted on this website, plus links to relevant videos on other websites. Find them here.
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust was set up by the Australian Government to plan for the future of former Defence and special Commonwealth lands around Sydney Harbour.
Five layers of history have left Sydney Olympic Park with a unique legacy of resources, including locally rare ecosystems and species, artefacts, buildings with heritage value or green credentials and a diverse open green space that is suitable for a wide range of programs and activities.
Home of the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps (RAAOC) Association
This website is the home of the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps (RAAOC) Association and provides a stepping stone to some of the early history of Newington. Available via the Internet Archive Way Back Machine.
Meet the men who guarded the ammunition!
Naval Historical Society of Australia
The online database is a guide and research tool and is compiled from authenticated Australian naval records and archives in Australia and oversee.
Everything you need to know about service units in Australia during World War 2.
A site dedicated to all "Who went down to the sea in ships" in World War 2. Topical articles on naval history.
Friends of the Cerberus Inc. aims to preserve HMVS Cerberus for future generations. Good for period information and old manuals.
NAVWEAPS - Naval Weapons, Naval Technology and Naval Reunions
Naval Weapons, Naval Technology and Naval Reunions! A comprehensive resource.
Australia's Official War Histories
First and Second World War official histories are available here in digital format to download. Images of the original pages can be viewed and words in the text searched.
WWII Snake Creek Armament Depot - NT
Snake Creek Armament Depot
Resources
The National Archives of Australia contains many files, photographs and plans that directly or indirectly relate to Naval Armament Depots. With the exception of some that are available online, only a few have been used so far in compiling this website. The State Records Office of NSW also contains some files, particularly relating to Goat and Spectacle Islands.
Sydney Olympic Park holds a collection of objects and records relating to the Newington site.
An increasing number of publications relating to the technology and work practices of the time are now freely available to download. These can be found on sites such as the Internet Archive and Scribd. Some of these are:
- Treatise on Ammunition 1877, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1878
- Torpedo Manual - Whitehead Torpedoes, Victorian Naval Forces, 1889
- Manual for Victorian Naval Forces, Victorian Naval Forces, 1890
- Lt-Col. F.C. Morgan, Handbook of Artillery Materiel, Sixth Edition, London, 1899
- Regulations for Army Ordnance Services (Provisional Edition), War Office, 1904
- Treatise on Ammunition 1915 (10th edition), His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1915
- O.U. 5267 Ammunition Pocket Book, Admiralty, 1926
- Textbook of Ammunition 1936, His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1936
- BR 932(1945) Handbook on Ammunition, Admiralty, 1945
- JSP333 Service Textbook of Explosives, Ministry of Defence, 1972
- AASTP-1 Manual of NATO Safety Principles for the Storage of Military Ammunition and Explosives, NATO, 2006
Two videos have been made about RANAD Newington. The History and Operation of the Newington Armament Depot, a 46 minute video cassette, was made by the Olympic Coordination Authority in 1999. This video is available on this site. The Railways of Newington Navy Armament Depot - A 1997 Driver's View Plus was made by Rowlingstock Productions in 1997 (Catalogue No. NNAD). This video cassette has been re-released as a DVD, and is still available.
Essential background reading for understanding the development of armament depot building design and layout are the following books:
- Wayne D. Cocroft, Dangerous Energy - The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture, English Heritage, 2000
- David Evans, Arming the Fleet - The Development of the Royal Ordnance Yards, 1770-1945, English Heritage/Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower, 2006
The standard references for naval weapons in the first half of the twentieth century are:
- Norman Friedman, Naval Weapons of World War One - Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations - An Illustrated Directory, Seaforth Publishing, 2011
- Campbell, John, Naval Weapons of World War Two Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 2002