News Operation REVUE

Operation REVUE

A historic black and white oblique aerial photo of Inverness. A river runs through the middle of the photo, with buildings on both banks. Two bridges cross the river. Inverness Castle is visible to the right of centre.

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Air Ministry directed the Royal Air Force (RAF) to undertake Operation REVUE, a comprehensive aerial photographic survey of the United Kingdom. Running from 1945 to 1951, it led to the creation of an invaluable resource for post-war reconstruction and development of the country.

A historic black and white vertical vertical aerial photo of a coastline. The land to the right is dotted with numerous bodies of water and has a ragged edge where it meets the sea. Two islands project into the sea to the left.

Calbha Beag and Calbha Mòr off the north-west coast of Scotland; Collection: SCOT, Sortie: 106G/SCOT/UK/0077, Frame: 6002 (10 May 1946)

Operation REVUE

The survey was intended to assist the Ordnance Survey in revising its maps of the country, alongside assisting numerous government departments, including those overseeing town planning and transport infrastructure. Designed to produce stereoscopic vertical cover at 1:10,000 scale, with larger scales and oblique photography taken of settlements, the survey was initially scheduled for completion by the end of 1947. However, many areas were re-flown in 1948-49 to rectify deficiencies caused by cloud cover or camera failure.

A historic black and white oblique aerial photo of fields divided by lines of trees. A farm complex is visible to the left of centre.

Fields where the South Parks district of the New Town of Glenrothes is today. The farmhouse still survives, surrounded by houses; Collection: SCOT, Sortie: CPE/SCOT/UK/0220, Frame: 0047 (25 June 1947)

New Towns

In Scotland, c.280,000 images were created during 500 REVUE sorties across the length and breadth of the country. These images informed the development of overspill estates – including Castlemilk, Drumchapel, Easterhouse and Pollok in Glasgow – and the New Towns of Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, and Glenrothes.

A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of an area of dockland. A river runs from the top left corner of the image to the bottom centre. The docks are to the right, with several ships moored at them. Various industrial buildings cover the shore.

The once world-famous shipyard of John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Glasgow - today, only the Titan Crane is still standing; Collection: SCOT, Sortie: 541A/RAF/0471, Frame: 3172 (10 May 1949)

Old Landmarks

The survey recorded landmarks including Edinburgh's Princes Street Railway station (demolished 20 years later) and shipyards along the River Clyde before its post-war decline and transformation from a world-leading shipbuilding powerhouse into a derelict post-industrial landscape.

A historic black and white oblique aerial photo of Edinburgh from the west, with the Castle visible on its hill to the right of the image. The photo is quite faded and grainy.

Edinburgh's Princes Street railway station, demolished 1969-70, with Edinburgh Castle and the dome of the Usher Hall to the right; Collection: SCOT, Sortie: 58/RAF/0813, Frame: 0379 (06 December 1951)

While the RAF made great efforts to provide the cover required during Operation REVUE, it experienced some difficulties due to unsuitable aircraft, time-worn equipment and the continual rotation of aircrew. However, the benefits of the survey to a whole range of researchers were, and still are, immeasurable. To those such as farmers, foresters, earth scientists, civil engineers, wildlife managers and archaeologists the images collected from 1945-51 offer a window into the landscape of the mid-20th century and are still in great demand today.

 

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