User:Ian Rose

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Coordinator Emeritus at Wikiproject Military History
Coordinator Emeritus at Wikiproject Military History



"You see, in this world, there is one awful thing, and that is that everyone has his reasons." -- Jean Renoir, The Rules of the Game

"England has been offered a choice between war and shame. She has chosen shame, and will get war." -- Winston Churchill on the Munich Agreement
"Thank God I'm still an atheist." -- Luis Bunuel

"My dear Rikki," Karellen retorted, "it's only by not taking the human race seriously that I retain what fragments of my once considerable mental powers I still possess!" -- Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End

"The Englishman sighed softly, as if slightly puzzled by the ability of Man to complicate unnecessarily his own existence here on earth." -- Frederick Forsyth, The Day of the Jackal
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here -- this is the War Room!" -- President Merkin Muffley, Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove

A day in the Desert Air Force, North Africa (to commemorate Remembrance Day 2018)

Life in these squadrons is queer, unreal and unnatural. The guard comes and makes a noise outside the ambulance (where four of us sleep) at 0600 (six o'clock). Turn over. Crawl out at 0615, pull on a sidcot and boots. Tramp to personal aeroplane, start up, taxi out into formation, and off for an hour or two's dicing with the Teuton.
On the deck again, over to operations room for comparison of notes with the rest of the team. Have breakfast, bully beef and tea. Back to operations to find out the general position, "12 aircraft on 15 minutes available". Wait around operations room. Word comes via telephone—"6 aircraft to 5 minutes readiness, 6 to 2 minutes standby". I am in the "standby" team. Into the aircraft and taxi to end of runway, listen to radio for instructions, sit there in cockpit for one-and-a-half hours, then message comes through "12 aircraft back to 15 minutes available". Disperse aircraft. Retire to operations room, a patrol is ordered for 1400. Have lunch, bully and tea. Off again on patrol and back at 1600. After the usual confab, retire to mess tent. More food at 1730, bully and tea!
Message received, squadron is released until 0830 (8:30 in the morning). Faint cheer from pilots, sergeant pilots and officers in the same tent (most unprecedented this but active service must make a lot of difference). The boys retire to bivouacs, tents—and the ambulance. Bombs are dropping somewhere around (we don't care). Climb into the bed-roll, after taking off sidcot and boots. Sleep.
I'll see you soon I hope.
Flight Lieutenant Ian Rose, No. 450 Squadron RAAF, letter home dated 11 December 1941

Wikipedia projects/roles

Please feel free to ask me for information or assistance about these.

Personal

About me
From bayside Russell Lea in Sydney, Australia; CIO for a major Australian IT firm (who hasn't forgotten how to program, let me hastily add); co-host of the Monday morning breakfast show on a Sydney community radio station; an abiding interest in film, music, history and travel; son of RAAF pilot Ian and model Betty; married to the beautiful Diana; owned by three cats and one lovable labrador, Cindy-Lea.

Wikipedia history

Why I'm here

Why do I read - and contribute to - Wikipedia ? Like Everest, because it’s there, i.e. on the Web and free and solicitous of contributions. Also because of its strong focus on art and culture, particularly modern/popular art and culture. Where else do you find more on David Bowie than you do on Beethoven? Don’t get me wrong, I think Beethoven deserves all the coverage he gets but I can find a decent article on him in Britannica – unfortunately can’t say the same of Bowie in that august journal... My main projects are or have been (see sections below for status):

However, the beauty (or curse) of a project like this is that roads lead everywhere so you never know where I might pop up...
Edit history
  • 1st - 14:44, 15 October 2005
  • 500th - 07:36, 20 March 2006
  • 1000th - 12:55, 3 June 2006
  • 1500th - 23:42, 2 September 2006
  • 2000th - 14:28, 25 October 2006
  • 2500th - 16:15, 4 December 2006
  • 3000th - 07:49, 29 January 2007
  • 3500th - 01:37, 8 March 2007
  • 4000th - 09:57, 15 April 2007
  • 4500th - 00:37, 15 May 2007
  • 5000th - 09:19, 6 June 2007
  • 6000th - 14:38, 5 August 2007
  • 7000th - 08:19, 1 October 2007
  • 8000th - 23:18, 9 December 2007
  • 9000th - 11:31, 7 February 2008
  • 10000th - 00:17, 6 April 2008
Since then I've stopped counting - as the Doc said in Bridge on the River Kwai, "Madness...! Madness...!"

Showcase

In order of assessment; Today's Featured Articles in bold
George Jones * Morotai Mutiny * Richard Williams‎ * Stanley Goble * William Bostock‎ * Frank McNamara * Harry Cobby * Adrian Cole * John Lerew * Joe Hewitt * Ellis Wackett * John Lloyd Waddy * Frederick Scherger * Charles Eaton * Jerry Pentland * Roderic Dallas (with Georgejdorner) * Lester Brain * Brian Eaton * Bill Newton * Ian Dougald McLachlan * William Brill * John McCauley * Valston Hancock * Alister Murdoch * Frank Bladin * Peter Jeffrey * Oswald Watt * Nicky Barr * Hector Waller * John Balmer * Roy Dowling * John Francis Jackson * Henry Wrigley * Colin Hannah * Reg Saunders (with AustralianRupert) * James Rowland * David Evans * Allan Walters * Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service (with Nick-D) * William Hely * No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF * Bobby Gibbes * No. 36 Squadron RAAF * Albert Ball (with Georgejdorner) * No. 33 Squadron RAAF * Frank Headlam * No. 34 Squadron RAAF‎ * Elwyn Roy King * No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF * Roy Phillipps * 1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision * Henry Burrell * No. 1 Squadron RAAF * Garnet Malley (tks Georgejdorner) * No. 77 Squadron RAAF * Les Holden * HMS Nairana‎‎ (with Sturmvogel 66) * John Wilton * No. 450 Squadron RAAF (with AustralianRupert) * Pat Hughes * No. 90 Wing RAAF * Reg Pollard * No. 91 Wing RAAF * Dick Cresswell * No. 37 Squadron RAAF * Clare Stevenson * No. 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF * Donald Hardman * RAAF area commands * Henry Petre * Australian Air Corps * Peter Drummond‎ * Eastern Area Command (RAAF) * Ragnar Garrett * North-Eastern Area Command (RAAF)‎ * Lou Spence * Western Area Command (RAAF) * Vance Drummond * North-Western Area Command (RAAF) * Thomas White * Mary Bell * Eric Harrison * Alan Rawlinson * Wilfred Arthur * Gordon Steege * Air Board (Australia)‎ * William Anderson
Command in the South West Pacific Area (with Hawkeye7) * No. 90 (Composite) Wing RAAF (with Nick-D) * RAAF area commands
Alan Charlesworth * Frank Lukis * George Mackinolty * Central Flying School RAAF * No. 82 Wing RAAF‎ * Hippolyte De La Rue * No. 86 Wing RAAF‎ * No. 81 Wing RAAF‎ * No. 78 Wing RAAF‎ * No. 84 Wing RAAF
Station to Station * Robert Little * Neville McNamara * Les Clisby * Len Waters (tks Grant65) * Nigel Cullen * No. 71 Wing RAAF‎ * No. 73 Wing RAAF‎ * Leslie Douglas Jackson * Peter Turnbull * Arthur William Murphy‎ * Charles Read * No. 79 Wing RAAF * No. 76 Wing RAAF * No. 77 Wing RAAF * No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF * No. 8 Service Flying Training School RAAF * Dave Shannon * Peter Isaacson (with RichardH) * No. 1 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF * No. 1 Basic Flying Training School RAAF * No. 72 Wing RAAF * John Newham * No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit RAAF * Ray Funnell * No. 1 Operational Training Unit RAAF * No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF * Northern Area Command (RAAF) * No. 3 Aircraft Depot RAAF * No. 482 Squadron RAAF * No. 486 Squadron RAAF * No. 5 Operational Training Unit RAAF * No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF * No. 11 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF‎ * No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF * No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF * No. 391 Squadron RAAF * No. 491 Squadron RAAF * No. 82 Squadron RAAF (with AustralianRupert) * No. 30 Transport Unit RAAF * No. 20 Squadron RAAF (with AustralianRupert) * Fighter Squadron RAAF * Seaplane Squadron RAAF * John Slessor (with Dormskirk) * Central Area Command (RAAF) * Southern Area Command (RAAF) * No. 1 Initial Flying Training School RAAF ‎* No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF ‎* No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF ‎* No. 4 Service Flying Training School RAAF ‎* No. 8 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF * Ivor McIntyre * No. 4 Operational Training Unit RAAF * Northern Command (RAAF) * RAAF Transport Flight (Japan) * No. 75 Wing RAAF * No. 285 Squadron RAAF
No. 91 (Composite) Wing RAAF

Articles created

Music

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army
Complex (song) * We Are Glass * I Die: You Die * Stormtrooper in Drag * She's Got Claws * Tubeway Army (album) * Telekon * Sacrifice (Gary Numan album) * Exile (Gary Numan album) * Pure (Gary Numan album) * Paul Gardiner
David Bowie & associates
All the Young Dudes (song) * Heroes (David Bowie song) * Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie song) * David Live * Warren Peace * Simon House * Mick Woodmansey * Tony Newman (drummer) * George Murray (musician) * Tony Sales * Ricky Gardiner * Roy Carr
John Foxx & Ultravox
Systems of Romance * Burning Car * Miles Away (song)
Other
Broken English (album) * Ricky's Hand * Fire (Arthur Brown song) * Know Your Product

Military

Air Force
Morotai Mutiny * GA Bobby Gibbes * George Jones (RAAF officer) * William Bostock‎ * GA Wilfred Arthur * No. 9 Operational Group RAAF *   Stanley Goble * No. 205 Squadron RAF * Valston Hancock * GA Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond‎ * No. 145 Squadron RAF‎ * John McCauley * No. 4 Operational Training Unit RAAF * Ivor McIntyre * No. 221 Squadron RAF‎ * Alister Murdoch * GA Charles Read (RAAF officer) * GA Clare Stevenson‎ * Joe Hewitt (RAAF officer) * GA Frank Lukis * Henry Wrigley * No. 40 Wing RAF * Adrian Cole (RAAF officer) * GA Arthur William Murphy * 7,900hits Frank Bladin * 5,000hits John Lerew * GA Hippolyte De La Rue * Ellis Wackett * John Lloyd Waddy * GA Mary Bell (aviator) * GA Henry Petre * GA Eric Harrison (RAAF officer) * GA 3,900hits George Mackinolty * 4,200hits Charles Eaton (RAAF officer) * GA 8,300hits Roy Phillipps * GA 4,300hits Les Holden * GA ]4,200hits Allan Walters * Lester Brain * 13,000hits Brian Eaton * GA 11,500hits Les Clisby * GA 6,200hits Nigel Cullen * GA No. 77 Wing RAAF * GA No. 79 Wing RAAF * GA 4,666hits No. 76 Wing RAAF * GA Gordon Steege * GA No. 72 Wing RAAF * 6,300hits John Francis Jackson * GA Leslie Douglas Jackson * RAAF Command * GA 12,400 hits Peter Turnbull * GA 4,400hits Alan Charlesworth * 7,900hits Peter Jeffrey (RAAF officer) * GA No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF * GA No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF * GA 5,400hits 1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision * John Balmer * 15,800hits William Brill * GA No. 1 Basic Flying Training School RAAF * No. 1 Initial Flying Training School RAAF * 4,123hits No. 4 Service Flying Training School RAAF * No. 7 Service Flying Training School RAAF * No. 3 Service Flying Training School RAAF * No. 6 Service Flying Training School RAAF * GA No. 8 Service Flying Training School RAAF * GA 8,508hits Dave Shannon * No. 3 Aircraft Depot RAAF * GA No. 1 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF * GA No. 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF * GA Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service (with Nick-D) * GA No. 90 Wing RAAF * GA William Hely * List of former Duntroon cadets in the RAAF - self-explanatory * Alan Rawlinson (WWII ace) * Margaret Blackwood (WAAAF officer) * Audrey Herring (WAAAF officer) * Murray Jones (Australian Flying Corps officer) * RAAF Air Board (controlling body 1920-76) * RAAF area commands (geographical command system 1939-54) * RAAF command problems of World War II - self-explanatory (gleam in eye only) * Lou Spence (RAAF officer - family connection) * John Herington (RAAF officer & historian)
General

Template:ADF Leadership * 49,500hits Leonard Siffleet * GA Henry Burrell (RAN officer)
Major revisions/expansions

Music

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army
That's Too Bad * Bombers (Gary Numan song) * Jo the Waiter * Only a Downstat * Down in the Park * Are 'Friends' Electric? * Replicas (album) * Cars (song) * The Pleasure Principle (album) * Dance (Gary Numan album) * Jagged
David Bowie
The Supermen * Changes (David Bowie song) * Starman (song) * Rock 'n' Roll Suicide * John, I'm Only Dancing * The Jean Genie * Aladdin Sane (song) * Future Legend * Rebel Rebel * 1984 (song) * Golden Years (song) * Weeping Wall (David Bowie song) * Joe the Lion * Neuköln * David Bowie (album) * Space Oddity (album) * The Man Who Sold the World (album) & most tracks * Aladdin Sane & all tracks * Diamond Dogs * GA Station to Station * "Heroes" & all tracks * Stage (album) * Lodger (album) * Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) & most tracks * Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo * You've Got a Habit of Leaving
Iggy Pop
The Idiot (album) * Lust for Life (album) * Blah Blah Blah (album)
Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music
Roxy Music (album) * For Your Pleasure * Country Life (album) * Let's Stick Together
John Foxx & Ultravox
Metamatic * The Garden (John Foxx album) * The Golden Section
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget * Fireside Favourites * Incontinent (album)
The Saints
The Saints (band) * (I'm) Stranded (song)
Other
Shock the Monkey * Hall of the Mountain Grill * Friday on My Mind * Lucifer Sam * How Soon Is Now? * Iron Virgin * Move It

Military

Air Force
GA No. 82 Wing RAAF * GA No. 78 Wing RAAF * GA No. 81 Wing RAAF * GA No. 86 Wing RAAF * Frederick Scherger * Chief of Air Force (Australia) *   Richard Williams (RAAF officer)‎ * GA William Anderson (RAAF officer)‎ * John Slessor * Donald Hardman * Officer Training School RAAF * Colin Hannah * Frank Hubert McNamara * Arthur Henry Cobby * William Ellis Newton * GA Elwyn King * GA Robert A. Little * 10,600hits Alexander Pentland * Oswald Watt * Roderic Dallas (collaboration with Georgejdorner) * GA 4,000hits Neville McNamara * Nicky Barr * GA Albert Ball (collaboration with Georgejdorner) * GA Len Waters (kicked off by Grant65) * Australian First Tactical Air Force * GA No. 71 Wing RAAF * GA No. 73 Wing RAAF * RAAF Base Richmond * Ian Dougald McLachlan * No. 37 Squadron RAAF * No. 2 Flying Training School RAAF * No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF * James Rowland (RAAF officer) * David Evans (RAAF officer) * GA Central Flying School RAAF * GA Peter Isaacson (collaboration with RichardH) * GA HMS Nairana (1917)‎‎ (collaboration with Sturmvogel 66) * GA 7,062hits No. 84 Wing RAAF * GA No. 36 Squadron RAAF * No. 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit RAAF * John Newham (kicked off by Oliver Nouther) * Paterson Clarence Hughes (enhancement under way) * Clive Caldwell (enhancement to come, collaborating with Nick-D) * Charles Learmonth (enhancement to come) * Edgar McCloughry (possible enhancement to come) * Edgar Johnston (possible enhancement to come) * Lawrence Wackett (possible enhancement to come) * John Vincent Barry (possible enhancement to come)
General

Hector Waller (improved to Start-Class by Janggeom) * Roy Dowling * Reg Saunders (collaboration with AustralianRupert) * John Augustine Collins (enhancement to come) * Guy Royle (possible enhancement to come) * Hastings Harrington (possible enhancement to come)
Other updates/expansions/clean-ups

Music

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army
Gary Numan * Tubeway Army * Living Ornaments '80 * Freak Like Me (Sugababes song)
David Bowie & associates
David Bowie * Cygnet Committee * The Prettiest Star * Memory of a Free Festival * Holy Holy * The Width of a Circle * Black Country Rock * Oh! You Pretty Things * Quicksand (David Bowie song) * The Bewlay Brothers * Lady Stardust * Diamond Dogs (song) * Rock 'n' Roll With Me * Big Brother (song) * Wild Is the Wind (song) * It's No Game * Fashion (song) * Scream Like a Baby * Hunky Dory * ChangesOneBowie * Low (album) * Berlin Trilogy * ChangesTwoBowie * ChangesBowie * Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture * LiveAndWell.com * All the Young Dudes * Mick Ronson - copyedit to come * Paul Buckmaster * Hunt Sales * Claudia Lennear * Colin Thurston * The Laughing Gnome * Earthling (album)
Brian Eno
Brian Eno * Here Come the Warm Jets * Another Green World * Before and After Science
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop * The Passenger (song)
John Foxx & Ultravox
John Foxx * Ha!-Ha!-Ha! - clean-up to come
Kraftwerk
Florian Schneider * Radioactivity (song) * Das Model
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger * Keith Richards * Let's Spend the Night Together * Gimme Shelter * Miss You (The Rolling Stones song)
The Beatles
The Beatles (album) * Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band * Revolver (album) * Working Class Hero (John Lennon song) * Yoko Ono
Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited * Like a Rolling Stone * Highway 61 Revisited (song) * Subterranean Homesick Blues
Miscellaneous music
Virginia Plain * Block Buster * Venus in Furs (song) * Killing an Arab * Children of the Night * Cut Lunch * The White Albun * The Iron Man: A Musical * Captive Soundtrack * Are You Gonna Be My Girl * Aqualung (album) * On Broadway (song) * Never for Ever
Miscellaneous artists
Roxy Music * T.Rex (band) * Grace Jones * Nina Hagen * Snakefinger * Heaven 17 * B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) * Sinéad O'Connor * Eddie Rayner * Noel Crombie * Martin McCarrick * Mike Leander * Jet (band) * Michael Brook * Bobby "Boris" Pickett * Birgit Nilsson * Anne-Sophie Mutter * Gene Simmons
Other
Deram Records * Olympic Studios * Mersey Sound

Film, TV, literature

2001: A Space Odyssey (film)‎ * Ben-Hur (1959 film) * Monty Python's Life of Brian * The Lord of the Rings * Blake's 7 * David Tench Tonight * Richard Carleton * Belinda Emmett * Edward Fox (actor) * David Hemmings * The Cold Equations * Graham Kennedy * King Kong (1976 film)‎

Military

Air Force
No. 1 Squadron RAAF * No. 3 Squadron RAAF * No. 10 Squadron RAAF * No. 11 Squadron RAAF * No. 33 Squadron RAAF * RAAF Williams * Hughie Edwards * Charles Burnett (RAF officer)‎ * Edward Leonard Ellington * George Kenney * Eric Lock * No. 233 Squadron RAF‎ * No. 75 Squadron RAAF‎ * No. 35 Squadron RAAF * No. 4 Squadron RAAF * No. 204 Squadron RAF * No. 206 Squadron RAF * No. 208 Squadron RAF * No. 210 Squadron RAF * Structure of the RAAF * No. 1 Medical Receiving Station RAAF * No. 5 Fighter Sector RAAF * RAAF Station Sandgate * RAAF Bradfield Park * RAAF Base Mallala * RAAF Station Cunderdin * Werner Mölders * Adolf Galland‎
General
Charles Upham * Murray William James Bourchier * Malayan Emergency * Appeal of 18 June * Military history of Australia during World War II‎ * Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)‎ * Medal of Honor‎ * Vice Chief of the Defence Force (Australia) * Huta Pieniacka massacre * Corkbush Field mutiny * Texas Ranger Division‎ * Brian Horrocks * William Horrocks * Thomas Blamey * Military history of Australia during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation - minor expansion to come

Aviation

PSA Flight 182 * American Airlines Flight 96 * United Airlines Flight 232 * Japan Airlines Flight 123 * Lauda Air Flight 004 * British Airways Flight 9 * Tenerife disaster * 1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash‎ * de Havilland Comet * Bristol Beaufort * De Havilland DH.50

Automotive

Donald Campbell * Allan Moffat * Bathurst 1000 * Eddie Hasha

Miscellaneous

Knox Grammar School * Gare Montparnasse * Surfers Paradise, Queensland * Neukölln * Roger Rogerson * List of atheists * Wangal people * Rachel Wall‎ * Bungaree

...and a host of gnomic little corrections/additions at many other pages that have caught my attention...

Military history project open tasks