Photographs of research and people from King Edward Point and Grytviken, South Georgia, 1971-72
Signatur
D.2025.32.1
Datum
1971-72
Umfang
66 photographs
Bestandsgeschichte
Colllection of photographs from Geoff Firmin related to his time working in South Georgia, winters 1971 and 9172. Geoff Firmin worked as Ionospherisist for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) which later became the British Antarctic Survey out of King Edward Point, South Georgia. The collection comprises black and white and colour photographs from Geoff's time in South Georgia. Subjects of the photographs include, the abandoned whaling station in Grytviken, King Edward Point, research, people and wildlife.
Geoff Firming provided the following descriptions for some of the photographs:
[D.2025.32.1.1] ‘Assembling for the 1971 'midwinter' photograph. Actually in October, the first time snow lay at sea level that winter. In swimmies is Derek Devitt, the radio operator, who had wintered 1970 at Halley Bay and regarded South G as effete.’
[D.2025.32.1.4] ‘Ring. In about March 1971, Salvesen's caretaker Thoresen went North, leaving us his collie Ring. He was adopted by our diesel mech Harry and commuted daily between the warm diesel shack and warm Shackleton House.’
[D.2025.32.1.5] ‘Gull Lake diving tent. 1972 doctor hoped to study the effects of cold on chemicals in blood, but found we dressed too unfashionably to get colder than most civilians. So he invited some to dive under the ice, others to spend a while in the base deep freeze. I never read his thesis (but all thanks for setting my leg).’
[D.2025.32.1.6] ‘Our 1972 doctor was an enthusiastic water-skier. His single instruction was "Never let go." I completed one circuit, mostly inverted.’
[D.2025.32.1.7] ‘My ionospherics teacher Dick Kressman and a meteorologist (waving) servicing our sounding aerial behind Shackleton House.’
[D.2025.32.1.8] ‘I broke my own leg teaching the 1972 radio operator to ski, after the ships had gone North. Once I was out of traction, they kindly took me across to a Barff Peninsula deer hunt, stretcher strapped to the boat's coaming - my coldest day ever.’
[D.2025.32.1.18] ‘Shackleton House, 12 bedrooms & table tennis top floor, labs, dining & living room below, damaged 10 years later in the war, subsequently demolished.’
[D.2025.32.1.50] ‘HMS Endurance, on a 1972 visit, gave helicopter assistance to install a glaciology field station on Mount Hodges.’
[D.2025.32.1.55] ‘Male elephant seal, said to be able to move slightly faster than a Fid running backwards in gumboots taking photographs.’
[D.2025.32.1.56] ‘The only fur seal I ever saw then on South G. Most species were only slowly recovering from whalers' depredations. But we did see, in 1971, what was probably the first whale to blow within Cumberland Bay for 50 years.’
[D.2025.32.1.57] ‘Only four King penguins seen in Grytviken & KEP through 1971 & 72.’
[D.2025.32.1.62] ‘Sir Vivian 'Bunny' Fuchs, head of BAS, visiting bases on the 1971 maiden voyage of RRS Bransfield.’
[D.2025.32.1.63] ‘Midwinter 1972 in Shack House living room (panelled with tongue-n-grooved salvaged with permission from Grytviken).’
[D.2025.32.1.64] ‘Husky Bunny, apparently unable to tow sledges because snow bunched in his paws, rescued from Halley Bay by Derek and found capable of towing intrepid ski-jorers.’
