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Home , Ernest Shackleton, Henry Worsley (explorer), Peggotty Bluff, Transglobe Expedition

     P SUPPORTING POLAR         SCIENCE AND HERITAGE 

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www.spri.cam.ac.uk/friends   C

ISSUE 081 / AUTUMN 2016 Loyal readers since 1996 © Ingimage

Arctic

Written by Bob Headland,      P Club President   The Club      

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This November the Friends of the of exploration was in quite different 





 

  Scott Polar Research Institute are circumstances. In Britain an enthusiasm for C coming together with the Friends reunions of Antarctic expeditions resulted in of the Antarctic Club to offer you the foundation of the Antarctic Club. The an exciting lecture, given by Bob first reunion dinner, on 18 January 1929, was Are you a Headland, President of the attended by men from a dozen expeditions. Antarctic Club, after the FoSPRI The club continued, despite a lapse during Christmas winner? Annual General Meeting. the Second World War, and celebrated the To celebrate our 20th Anniversary The lecture will feature a unique view of the 83rd reunion in April 2016. The lecture of Polar Bytes we are giving away 20 discoveries of the Heroic Age and reveal the includes details of early members and notable inside copies history of the Antarctic Club. events in the history of the club. Christmas card packs of the Autumn Issue including the online The brief but intense epoch of Antarctic We look forward to welcoming you to this compelling lecture and evening issue. Check your copy or email to see if exploration, often termed the ‘Heroic Age’ you are a surprise winner! had practical and theoretical beginnings. with our Friends. The last of the old-style sealers and first If you are not a winner and would still of the new whalers were also active at the TICKETS £20 EACH like to order some cards, please see inside for Buffet, Drinks and Lecture time. Coincidentally there was a an order form or visit our website. All emphasis on attaining the and 4pm FoSPRI AGM - FREE proceeds go to supporting the fantastic several men served on expeditions to both 5pm Antarctic Club and Friends work of the friends. polar regions. All this was interrupted by together for buffet and drinks For terms and conditions visit the First World War after which resumption 6.30pm Lecture

AGENDA www.spri.cam.ac.uk/friends

Thank you to Partners for their generous sponsorship Terra Nova Advisory services for high growth technology companies www.terranovapartners.co.uk Partners Ltd Welcome News & Views

Welcome to From the Institute our Autumn A few words from Director Julian Dowdeswell Polar Bytes email: [email protected] newsletter I have just returned to Longyearbyen in after being aboard ship investigating the morphology and In , Shackleton finally stratigraphy of the seafloor and the record completed his task of rescuing the men left An iceberg, but no , in the of past glaciation east of the archipelago summertime Barents Sea on . Our celebrations of with Norwegian colleagues. that great leadership achievement this year Our research area was close to the marine The flight back to continental from have been fitting and memorable for border between Norway and Russia in the Svalbard is tomorrow, with further flights the Friends. Barents Sea. We were sailing between the onward to the UK the day after. Then islands of Nordaustlandet and Kong Karls straight to Washington DC, as part of three That spirit was captured during the SPRI Land. This is an isolated part of the world, person UK delegation to the White House Science ministerial meeting, where and Bonhams ‘Visions of the Great White to which few ships go, and Kong Karls Land is seldom visited. Whales and walrus the future of the Arctic is being discussed. ’ Exhibition in August when so many were sighted along with icebergs calved And next week is the start of the new of our Friends brilliantly supported the from an ongoing surge, or rapid advance, academic year in Cambridge – a busy time three-week event as guides and visitors. of part of the huge Austfonna ice cap on for staff and students alike. Thank you all very much indeed; thank Nordaustlandet – the largest ice cap in the you too to Robert Brooks, CEO Bonhams, Eurasian Arctic. and his ever willing team, and of course thank you to Charlotte and everyone involved at SPRI. It was an unmitigated News from the Heritage Collections success in every respect, demonstrating From the Antarctic Project Cataloguer, Greta Bertram that the Friends are keen to be involved in email: [email protected] such gatherings and I hope that we’ll be able to approach you to support similar The Polar Museum’s Antarctic Cataloguing Project is now drawing to a activities in the future. close. Over the past two years, nearly every Antarctic-related object in the collection The FoSPRI Committee met recently to (about 2300 items) has been described, decide the programme for the next year or measured, photographed and condition so and to agree final arrangements for the assessed, and is now available on the new membership scheme. I’m extremely museum’s online catalogue at http:// grateful for their endeavours and, of www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/ catalogue. This includes clothing, course, am always on the lookout for sledges, skis, harnesses, navigational Antarctic objects from the Polar Museum new committee members so do consider instruments, scientific equipment and collection, including a face mask and flowmeter volunteering… names on a postcard specimens, foodstuffs, medals and for an Integrating Motor Pneumotachograph. to Celene please! Our next event is the memorabilia etc. from the Heroic Age accounts, it was unpleasant to wear and expeditions of Scott and Shackleton to the AGM in November in tandem with our expedition members had to be press- present day. colleagues from the Antarctic Club and we ganged into wearing it. The components very much look forward to seeing as many were unreliable and, on his return to of you as possible. Britain, Dr. Allan Rogers, the expedition’s medical officer, found that the breath samples that had been collected had been Perhaps the most bizarre item we contaminated and the entire experiment encountered is the ‘IMP’ or ‘Integrating rendered completely useless! Motor Pneumotachograph’, a piece Without a doubt, the most challenging Nick Lambert, Chairman of equipment designed to measure aspect of the project was extracting the energy expenditure and used on the sledges from the tiny store in which they’re Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic kept in order to photograph them – but it Expedition of 1955-58. According to 2 / 081 was definitely worth it. Expedition

THE SHACKLETON HOW TO SPONSOR You are invited to sponsor the Shackleton Written by John Shears CROSSING Crossing expedition 2016 with all money raised going to support the outstanding and internationally important work of the Polar EXPEDITION 2016 Museum and wider SPRI. The aim is to raise a minimum of £3000. For each donation made the expedition will be pleased to give Raising funds for SPRI in exchange:

£3 and above – Personal thank you email A team of nine adventurers, six from The expedition team will arrive at South from the expedition team, including a digital the UK and three from the USA, will Georgia on the 7 November, and will be photograph of the team crossing South be taking part in the Shackleton dropped off at , King Haakon Georgia. Crossing expedition on Bay. They will then head inland and follow £30 and above – Map of South Georgia in November 2016, and raising funds in the footsteps of Shackleton, Worsley and showing the crossing route and signed by for the Friends of the Scott Polar Crean. The team will finish the crossing the expedition team. Research Institute (FoSPRI) with at the old whaling station at Stromness every step they take. The expedition Harbour on 10 November. £300 and above – Replica of Shackleton’s sledging flag signed by the expedition team. commemorates the centenary of the For more information about the expedition first crossing of South Georgia by Sir please visit the Shackleton Legacy website £3000 and above – Scale replica wooden , and http://www.shackletonlegacy.com/ model of the James Caird handmade by in . the--crossing.html Seb Coulthard. The expedition is led by Friend of SPRI, Seb Coulthard, through his company Shackleton To sponsor the Shackleton Crossing Legacy Ltd, and another Friend of SPRI, Dr expedition 2016 please send a cheque, made John Shears, is one of the expedition team. payable to the University of Cambridge, to They have just completed mountaineering Celene Pickard, Executive Secretary, Friends and glacier training on Mt Blanc in the of SPRI, Scott Polar Research Institute, French Alps. Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK.

A perfect resting place Written by Angie Butler

Working closely with We hope that Joanna, Max and Alicia many of Henry’s of the Worsley Family, family, friends we have the honour of and admirers Meet our first Arctic artist in taking Henry’s ashes to will join residence – Julian Grater South Georgia to be laid us on this alongside his beloved very special This June we welcomed our very first Artist in Shackleton in the Whaler’s cemetery. commemorative Residence for the Arctic Region on board the We are very grateful to the Falklands and voyage to celebrate Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Julian Grater is an South Georgia government who have made Henry and his love award winning artist and working in his ‘garret’ a special case by generously consenting to of . on top deck he captured the mysterious beauty this venture and agreeing to the setting We were so fortunate to have of the Norwegian Arctic in charcoal. up of a plaque in the Whaler’s church to Henry on the Akademik Vavilov (one of We are most grateful to commemorate a much loved man who the very best historians we have had) some Bonhams and One Ocean strode in the footsteps of Scott, Amundsen two years ago. This voyage will celebrate Expeditions for making and Shackleton. his life and share his love of Antarctica. this initiative a reality and The 18 day voyage departs on 30 For more information contact: we look forward to seeing November 2017 on the Akademik Ioffe and [email protected] his work. will visit the Falklands, South Georgia and Julian at the Tromso Antarctica. Above image: Henry holding his book In Shackleton’ s See www.juliangrater.com Polar Museum Footsteps © Ice Tracks Expeditions 3 Events Key Exhibition Study Family Lecture Special Voyage Meeting

Please visit: www.spri.cam.ac.uk/friends/events FoSPRI dates for the diary for further details

General

EVENT: DATE: TIME: LOCATION: COST/BOOKING: In My Element – The £30 Main hall. In search Trust. £10 Overflow room Amazing stories from land, Royal Wednesday (audio visual). sea and air. With Nicholas 7pm Geographical 16 November Booking: http:// of ice! Crane, Stephen Venables, Society Tracey Curtis-Taylor and the buytickets.at/transglo- By Angie Butler, Ice Tracks Coxless Crew. beexpeditiontrust Friends of SPRI AGM Saturday 19 SPRI Lecture 4pm FREE November Theatre Post AGM Antarctic Club Saturday 19 SPRI Lecture Lecture & buffet and Friends lecture, buffet 5pm and drinks November Theatre price £20 The Friends of SPRI’s A perfect resting place. Join us on this very special Falklands, South For more information recent 30 November commemorative voyage to TBA Georgia and contact: info@ice- Explorer Arctic voyage 2017 celebrate and Antarctica tracks.com this June was a huge his love of Antarctica. success, kicking off with a superb reception at the Further information on the Museum events and exhibitions Museum events visit www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/ museum in Oslo for the 26 Friends. EVENT: DATE: TIME: LOCATION: COST/BOOKING: The Akademik Sergey . Vavilov was our home for Explore the race against 20 September http://www.spri.cam. the next 10 days. Ice was in time to get Antarctica’s most 10am - 4pm – 23 December ac.uk/museum/events short supply, forcing us to ambitious bases for science speed north above 80° in built. search of the King of the Museum Escape: Tuesday 25 Slots at Arctic. The number of bear The Polar Domes 4.30pm, October For booking enquiries, sightings swelled throughout Back by popular demand 5.30pm, MUSEUM email: museumevents@ the voyage. – Your mission should you 6.30pm THE POLAR Thursday 17 spri.cam.ac.uk choose to accept it, is to 7.30pm & Thanks to all our Friends November escape the museum… 8.30pm of SPRI participants on the voyage. Ice Tracks Thank you to everyone who helped at the Visions of the Great White South Expeditions was thrilled to Exhibition. It was a huge success. During the event we had over 3,000 hand a cheque for £5,245 to A HUGE visitors over all, of those over 150 came on one of our museum tours. Chairman Nick Lambert. To order prints from the exhibition or to purchase a copy of the Ponting Above image: Ice Tracks handing the SUCCESS Portfolio visit: www.ponting-portfolio.com cheque to Nick Lambert

A note from the Executive Secretary

News regarding the new membership programme will follow very shortly, HOW TO CONTACT US? thank you for your patience. Any enquiries should be sent to Celene Pickard, Friends Secretary – email: [email protected] Celene Pickard UPDATE – After 20 successful years as a quarterly publication Polar Bytes will take on a Email: [email protected] new life in 2017. We will be printing Polar Bytes twice yearly and supplementing it with our NEW Tel: 01223 336 540 and IMPROVED Polar Bytes E-Newsletter. As you can understand postage costs are high and in Address: The Friends Office, order to reduce this somewhat we need to modernise and take Polar Bytes more online. In order Scott Polar Research Institute, to make sure you are included in this new format please send us your EMAIL address to where you Lensfield Road, Cambridge would like to receive Polar E-Bytes. You will be helping the Institute in a whole new way. CB2 1ER, England NEW FRIENDS – A very warm welcome is extended to all new members.

Edited by Celene Pickard and Leona Gaine Murphy. Information correct at time of going to press. E&OE. Designed and printed by www.arliamdesign.co.uk Photographs remain the copyright of their respective owners.