This book is based on Peter Richards' experiences in the Antarctic
from 1957 to 1960, working for what was then then the Falkland
Islands Dependencies Survey, which later became British Antarctic
Survey. It was a time when little had changed from the days of the
earlier explorers. Travel was with dog teams and communications
were still quite primitive, relying on relaying wireless messages
or sending Morse code. Young men - surveyors, meteorologists and
scientists - would spend three long years on the bases, only seeing
other humans when, in the summer, the supply ships visited. Their
kit was mostly army surplus - no warm quilted polyester waterproof
anoraks. It was an exciting challenging time for these fit young
men. Though Peter went down as a meteorologist, everybody helped
with the others' tasks, including taking weekly turns at cooking
all meals. There were bird ringing and seal counts to be done as
well as surveying. There was plenty of fun and, at times, danger
when travelling over the ice. He was appointed base leader on Signy
Island and with that he also inherited the title 'first aider'.
With no experience or training, he was lucky to have nothing more
to tackle than a large nail embedded in the foot of the diesel
mechanic! His time on Signy was cut short when he had an injury and
had to be shipped out back to the Falkland Islands for an
operation. When he recovered, he was unable to go back because the
winter had set in and no ships were going south; they were all on
their way back to the UK. So he was sent to South Georgia, and
there he saw the whaling industry in full swing - not something for
sensitive souls and thankfully the factory there has long since
been abandoned. He spent his time, when not doing observations,
exploring and helping with surveying and seal tagging.
General
| Imprint: |
Arthur H.Stockwell Ltd
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Release date: |
March 2022 |
| Authors: |
Peter Richards
|
| Dimensions: |
218 x 148mm (L x W) |
| Format: |
Hardcover
|
| Pages: |
160 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-7223-5136-9 |
| Categories: |
Books
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-7223-5136-4 |
| Barcode: |
9780722351369 |
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