Description
Description: Squadron Patch – School of Languages
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Squadron Patch – School of Languages.
From July 1944, the RAAF operated a language school in Sydney to provide training in written and spoken Japanese, and in December this became a joint enterprise (though still under RAAF control) to meet Army needs also. After moving to Melbourne in August 1945, then to Point Cook in February 1946, the school closed in October 1948. On this day, the RAAF School of Languages re-opened at Point Cook, initially offering Russian to a mix of Army and Air Force students; a course in Chinese (Mandarin) followed early next year. Other languages were progressively added: Indonesian in 1956, Vietnamese (1961), French (1962), Thai (1965) and Japanese again (1969). Burmese, Arabic and German were offered in the 1980s, followed by Khmer in 1990. On 1 February 1993, the school became the Australian Defence Force School of Languages, although still administered by the Air Force.
