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| Pictures of Antarctica |
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Base H on Signy Island was formally established on 18th March 1947 its 60th anniversary was in 2007 |
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Base H, Signy, thumbnails -
Historical Picture Gallery Base pictures: to 1963 1963-1975 1976 on + ships | ships, ice, people | mutts, dogs and a cat | dogs, 'doos, diving | diving, iciness | people, penguins | people | midwinter & fish | fish, boats & ice | scenic | people | people | huts | people | all sorts! | people | le fin | Base pictures |
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Fids Galleries: Hope Bay
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Stonington -
E
| Signy -
H - 1985/6 2003
2010
60 years
Signy
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A Reunion to celebrate 60 years of Base H on Signy Island
was held at
Peterhouse College, Cambridge on 14-16 September 2007 Commemorative items:
Comments received following the reunion:
Signy Fid Attendees 1950's
1960's
1970's
1980's
1990's
Ellen Bazeley-Wright (BAS Archivist) Chris Eldon Lee (BAS archivist and Oral History) Pictures received from:
Memories of Signy: Diving off Berntsen, the grey sandy floor of
Factory Cove was positively lunar, impressively cratered with
large saucer-like depressions where grounded bergs had rocked and
turned. And with perfect visibility into the distance, the inky
darkness seemed to emphasise this lunar similarity. Suspended weightless
there I thought this was as close as I'd ever get to feeling
what it would be like to fly weightless over the alien Moon. But
then, breaking the surface a Snow Petrel flew around me. To watch
him at wave-level, fluttering in his own perfect environment amongst
the waves and bergy-bits seemed such an awesome privilege. And all
this before morning Smoko - and no camera! Winter 1972, doing a 3-day trip around Signy
- arriving at Cummings, via Foca and Jebsen late in the afternoon,
in the mank. The hut then was no more than a dry-stone wall with
a metal roof. The door was only a board, and everything inside was
buried in snow. We dug out the sleeping bags and primus and had
a brew of nutty-bar, dried onions and peas and then tried to sleep.
It was -29F and we lay there in the snow, in the dark, with the
hoods of the green Everest sleeping bags drawn so tight that only
one nostril was exposed for air. I've never felt so bloody cold
as that night in a snow drift with the wind blowing through the
dry-stone wall. Getting out for a pee and looking at the amphitheatre
of black cliffs and snow all around, lit up by the moon, the masses
of bergs out in the bay, the utter lifeless winter silence, and
feeling that terrific sense of good 'ents', knowing that
this is one of those memories that will last for ever. Winter 1972, a wonderful dingle day for taking
the doo far out beyond Outer Island, into the chossed pack-ice,
to the grip the big bergs out there. Jan driving, Brian ski-yawing
on the tow-rope behind, and the berg immensely huge before us. Signy
looked so small and far away and so insignificant in this wilderness
of white. Rugged stuff, good grips - and then John trundles along
on the red doo, giving it a test drive from the genny shed - and
would you believe, 3-4 miles out in the pack and he's still
in his shirt sleeves and slippers, and loving it! 1973. Driving the doo through winter Christmas
cakes at Mirounga at midnight to sample the poddies in Lake 2.
Sitting in the tent over the hole cut in the ice, pumping up
water and listening to the hiss of the Tilley lamp - alone at midnight
in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the Antarctic, on a frozen
lake, under the black silhouette of Robin, and the stars gently
illuminating Coronation Island. And all was completely silent, frozen
in time, and so bloody cold, and so utterly utterly wonderful. Thanks
for letting me do that sample, Chris. Christmas 1984, doing night watch at Signy base
and watching a young female elephant seal playing in the shallow
water between the end of the jetty and an old iron tank left
in the shallows, a relic of the old whaling station. Peaceful and
quiet, everyone else in bed, a rare clear and calm night, the whole
scene lit by the pinkish light from the sun, drifting just above
the horizon, at 2am in the morning. |
I showed someone an album of prints of Signy
I have a little while ago and they commented
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Signy
Picture CD:
Signy
Magazine:
2001 