Papers of Oswald Watt
MSS 205
Collection Title
Papers of Oswald WattCollection Identifier
MSS 205Inclusive date(s)
1965 to 1971Extent and Medium
Creator(s)
Category
Subject: Person(s)
Subject: Organisation(s)
Collection Description
Essays submitted to the Oswald Watt Essay Competition
Administrative / Biographical history
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Watt
Australian aviator and businessman, Walter Oswald 'Toby' Watt was born in England in 1878, moving as an infant with his father to Australia following the death of his mother. After finishing his education in Bristol and Cambridge, Watt returned to Sydney in 1900, taking up a position in the family firm, buying pastoral leases, and enlisted as a reserve in the Militia. On return to England he was the first Australian to gain a Royal Aero Club flying certificate (1911), for which he later earned the sobriquet, 'Father of Australian Aviation'.
Watt transferred to the Australia Flying Corps in 1916, rising to command its English Training Wing, before his untimely death in Sydney in 1921 aged 43. He is commemorated by several awards: the Oswald Watt Gold Medal (Aero Clubs of Australia) for outstanding achievement in Australian aviation, the Oswald Watt Fund (University of Sydney), and the Oswald Watt Essay Prize (Royal Military College, Duntroon)
References:
Susan Johnston, 'Watt, Walter Oswald (Toby) (1878–1921)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/watt-walter-oswald-toby-1010/text15865 , published first in hardcopy 1990, retrieved 25 November 2020
Oswald Watt: the leader that the RAAF never had, Pathfinder: Air Power Development Centre Bulletin, Issue 166, October 2011
https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/APDC/media/PDF-Files/Pathfinder/PF166-Oswald-Watt-The-Leader-the-RAAF-Never-Had.pdf retrieved 25 November 2020
Acquisition Details
Scope and Content
This collection contains entries submitted to the Oswald Watt Essay Competition, 1965-1971. This annual prize of a pair of binoculars was established in 1921 in memory of Oswald Watt, and is awarded to a Royal Military College (Duntroon) cadet for the best essay on military aviation or aeronautics
Access Restrictions
Other
Access: Open Access
This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed below. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.
Copying: Copying of material for private study and research is approved
Existence and Location of Orginals
Disclaimer
This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed above. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.