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

specimens back myself under my personal supervision; and she had also seen Mrs
Fuchs. On 9 January there was a message from Dad telling me that Peter was home.
We heard more music courtesy of the BBC, but only when the reception was clear,
which was infrequent. In May we listened to the Mozart Bassoon Concerto and part
of the Haffner symphony; in June we heard the Emperor Concerto but reception was
very bad. In July there were some record requests for Fids on Stanley Radio, mainly
popular music. A highlight that month was a Bach recital by Harold Dark, which
took me back in mind to Kings College Chapel. In August we enjoyed a promenade
concert: Beethoven, Egmont overture, 3rd piano concerto and 7th symphony.
We continued to have limited contact with other bases, mainly Ralph at G
(Admiralty Bay) and with Base E (Stonington). In May there was a message from
Fuchs about a special BBC programme – ‘Calling Base E’, and we heard the first
broadcast in June, which was to Spiv (Bob Spivey). Jumbo Nicol sent midwinter
greetings from Base A and we learned that they were planning a 10-day sledging
trip. A week later there was a message from Fuchs saying that André Liotard (Leader
of the French Expedition to Terre Adélie – who had been with us on the first voyage
of the Biscoe) had sent best wishes to all. Derek and I compiled a message in French to
André who, was expecting to start again in September. No news of any of the sledge
parties, though it appeared that there was another party sledging out from Base E. In
July there was a message from Dr Fuchs about ‘Calling all Fids’, another programme
arranged with the BBC. We heard on ‘Calling Base E’ that a dock strike had spread to
the porters at Smithfield. The politics all seemed so remote.
Early in May David Dalgliesh told us that they were going to the Dion Islands,
south of Adelaide Island, at the end of the month to study emperor penguins. In June
we heard the second of a series of broadcasts ‘Calling Base E’ (Stonington) which had
been cut off by ice where the so-called ‘lost eleven’ had gone un-relieved the
previous season. The BBC had offered to make a series of broadcasts to them on the
lines of the wartime programmes where parents and friends spoke and played a
record. I didn't know whether it was a very good thing, for it might tend to make
people feel lonelier rather than the reverse. We learnt that Bernard Stonehouse was in
radio contact again from the Dions; the first eggs were laid June 4th. They were
having an interesting time with the emperors. I felt quite envious. David sent us a
message saying they were getting on well with the emperors and having lots of
scrambled eggs! He also sent the cider recipe. A message from Fuchs said that he and
Spiv had visited the Maurice Fauré Islands from where they saw no open water to
the west. Their transmitter was damaged when they crossed thirteen miles of rough
brash. It was all very interesting to us in our isolation.
In July we heard another ‘Calling Base E’ programme featuring David – a
pleasing series of selections – apparently they were living in igloos at Dion Islands. It
was good to have some information about what was going on elsewhere. Apart from
this and journeys out there by supporting parties from Stonington there had only
been one sledging trip from bases so far that winter. Base F (Argentine Islands)
closed down for ten days while they all went out in the field and caused some
anxiety by being several days overdue. With the exception of Deception Island where
there were no opportunities for sledging, Signy was the only base without dogs and I
wanted to do some useful man-hauling trips if only because of this.
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