Heritage of the Empire Air Armada: The Museological Inheritance of the Empire Air Training Scheme in Australia

The Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) was established during World War II (WWII) to dramatically increase the British Empire’s air power capabilities. Between 1940 and 1945, the training facilities of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) expanded phenomenally. At the outbreak of war, the strength of the RAAF numbered 3489 personnel and its training schools numbered three. By November 1944, RAAF personnel numbers had increased to 183,822 and schools numbered 59. During this period, the RAAF amassed a vast assemblage of material culture, while its personnel created memories related to training for wartime service. Australia’s involvement in total war resulted in the transformation of agricultural and residential land into sites of modern conflict. Newly erected airfields, hangars, workshops, barracks and kitchens were filled with aeroplanes, vehicles, machinery, tools, utensils, uniforms and people. The logistics of EATS required the militarisation of the physical landscape, the implementation of technologies and the development of air combat skills. Eighty years after its commencement, the impact of EATS remains evident in artefacts, landscapes, memories, memorials and performative remembrance practices. This thesis explores the legacy of the RAAF’s expansion during WWII by analysing the material and affective heritage of EATS on Australia’s home front. It unites the written and archival history of EATS with its collected assemblages, to provide a more comprehensive and inclusive account of the Scheme. My analysis is structured around the museological inheritance of two former EATS schools in New South Wales: 10 Elementary Flying Training School, Temora and 5 Service Flying Training School, Uranquinty. I ask what remains of these schools to interpret Australia’s participation in EATS, whether their physical and social landscapes sustain an enduring legacy, and if their collected heritage is representative of the aerial armada that transformed Australia