Digitised WW 2 Online Reports - 'Closed' due to Copyright

[Observer1940]

Searchable digitised scans of the MAP and Ministry of Supply WW 2 R & M Reports (some written up post-war) relating to a variety of Aviation, Defence, RCM, Navigation, Meteorology, etc., subjects which were written up to cover WW 2 and 613 are listed in AVIA 44 and on open access at TNA, Kew, but are not online worldwide, because they are being blocked due to copyright restrictions and 'closed' it is claimed by an overseas institution.

One R & M Report I have seen at TNA, Kew, cited a number of incidents including aircraft type, date, place and a brief report of the circumstances and what caused the failings. They are much more interesting for the general aviation researcher than the DSIR 22 or 23 Reports, which seem to be quoting formulae and calculations for aircraft structural designers and engineers.

These are the "Specialist monographs intended to record the results of research work by the two ministries during the Second World War."

Although a few R & M Ministry of Supply Reports are online pdfs at Aerade (Cranfield University), the vast majority of the UK Scientific R & M Reports are not.

I have also noted that R & M Reports (where the UK Min of Supply Title and Index pages) which were partly once online and available FoC, have now also been removed.

I had discovered a while ago, that our British Library (BL) also holds a massive collection of Research Reports and HMSO published Aviation Reports which were restricted to places like the RAE, Bedford, Farnborough etc., and other RAF and Air Ministry Research Establishments. But the BL still have not published a list on their catalogue.

I have asked several overseas institutions why the digitised British 'Ministry of Supply' (formerly MAP etc) R & M Reports are not online and one stated they are withheld due to not being in the public domain and the other responded:-

"We have verified that the volume is in the public domain in the UK. It is still subject to copyright in the United States, however. This means we will not be able to open it as public domain worldwide. We do not currently support access to volumes on a country-by-country basis in general, though we do work with institutions in countries where we have partners to provide access in accordance with the country’s laws. I'm afraid because of the limitations that we will need to keep the volume closed" ...

Seventy years have passed, we have technology, we have FOI and yet we still cannot search and access documents freely and easily.

Mark