Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

ehind, about 70 feet above sea level and all the stores would eventually have to
be taken up there over 170 yards of rough ground.
During the day we took time off the heavy work and Gordon officially
handed the base over to me. In all we had about 6 hours, discontinuously, for
this task. The hand-over involved passing on local knowledge, taking over the
Post Office business (stamps and cash) and reconciling accounts, receiving the
stores inventories - food, clothing, fuel and the few items of scientific equipment,
among other things. Derek and Ralph took over their respective 'departments',
meteorology and radio communications, from the men they were relieving. The
time went very quickly and was not nearly long enough, considering that we
three newcomers had no Antarctic experience and were starting from scratch.
But we were very enthusiastic and excited to be starting our new life in this
rugged setting. Although that day was typical of Signy weather - cold and wet -
it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. The outgoing team moved onto the ship and
we moved our personal belongings into the tiny hut. Then at the end of a long
and tiring day the ship's party departed and we were left for our first night alone
in that remote piece of the Antarctic.
We were woken at 4 o’clock by two blasts on the John Biscoe's siren as she
left, leaving the three of us in sole possession of the island. We expected her
back later in the season to land the fourth member of our winter party (a
Falkland Islander) - but in the event a heavy concentration of pack ice and bergs
closed in early and we didn't see another ship for ten months. Apart from an
Argentine base on Laurie Island, only about 30 miles away to the East, but in
effect inaccessible to us, the nearest people were thousand miles away. The three
of us were Derek Maling, ex-RAF, Ralph Lenton ex-Naval radio operator and
myself. Derek had begun a degree course in Geography at Durham University;
he was the Meteorological Officer and was able to do some glaciology and
geology in addition. I had climbed with him in the Lake District one day in l943
(chapter 2). Ralph had been apprenticed as a cooper; he had been in the building
trade before joining the Navy as a Petty Officer, and had other experience like
running a transport café on the A1. His practical skills were to prove most useful
over the months ahead. I was Biologist, Magistrate and Base Leader. Both Derek
and Ralph were three years older than me and had much more experience of life;
I understood that I had been put in charge to ensure that my research received
support.
H was the smallest FIDS base. Base E (Stonington) was the main base with
11 men; the others were B (Deception Island), D (Hope Bay), F (Argentine
Islands), and G (Admiralty Bay). Hope Bay had a similar complement to
Stonington, but the smaller bases usually had 4 or 5 men. (In fact, although we
didn't know it then, we were destined to have only 3 in my first year, which
necessarily constrained the time I had for scientific work. We were also the
second smallest party to winter in this part of the world (Bagshawe and Lester
had wintered at Waterboat Point, Antarctic Peninsula, in l922). I was very
pleased that, in the event, we pulled through very well, largely I think due to the
fact that we always had far more to do than we had time for!
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