A Reunion to celebrate
60 years of Base H on Signy Island was held at Peterhouse
College, Cambridge on 14-16 September 2007
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 Signy
Picture CD:
Over 640 images from
Signy from the 1920's to the 2000's
arranged as a PowerPoint presentation
(no software needed to view) and also as
individual files allowing for personal
printing, use as desktop background etc.
£3.50 inc postage to
anywhere, cheque to:
Paul Ward, 64 High
Street, Great Paxton, St. Neots, Cambs,
PE19 6RF, or
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 Signy
Magazine:
Illustrated A4 magazine collated by Bob Burton.
£2.50 inc postage to anywhere, cheque to:
Bob Burton, 63 Common Lane, Hemingford Abbots,
Huntingdon PE28 9AW. robert@burton41.co.uk |
Comments received following the reunion:
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In all, a most enjoyable Reunion
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The number and range of people attending
was impressive; it's a pity we can't have a 60th
Reunion every year
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A fitting memorial
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Can't wait for the 65th!
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Interesting to see pictures of how
Signy has developed over the years
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Remarkable that we all took up again
as though the 35 years in between was a mere blip
of time
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Many congratulations on a tour de
force
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It was a huge pleasure and a nostalgic
delight for me
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Many congratulations on a wonderful
event.
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First of all I couldn't see anybody
I knew, then I started to recognise some of these
strange old men waving at me!
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Signy Fid Attendees
1950's
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Peter Cordall 1954, 1955
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Graham Davis 1954
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Fergus O'Gorman 1959
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Peter Richards 1958
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Jim Stammers 1958, 1959
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Alan Tritton 1953
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'Lance' Tickell 1955, 1956
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L C Tyson 1955
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James Young 1959
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1960's
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Nigel Bacon 1965, 1966
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Andrew Bailey 1963, 1964
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John Baker 1966, 1967
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Roger Beck 1966; 1967- 68
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Malcolm Bedells 1966-67
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Doug Bone 1967, 1968
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Paul Bregazzi 1968
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Mike Burgin 1966
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Bob Burton 1964, 1965
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John Edwards 1968, 1969
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Inigo Everson 1965, 1966
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Charles Gimingham 1965-66
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Barry Goodman 1964, 1965
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Les Graves 1968, 1969
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Barry Heywood 1962, 1963
+ summer visits
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Peter Hobbs 1962, 1963
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Martin Holdgate 1961-62,
1963-64
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Charles Howie 1965
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Nev Jones 1961
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Brian Kellett 1972, 1973
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Ron Lewis Smith 1966; 1976-77,
1980-81, 1984-85, 1987-88, 1990-91, 1994-95, 1997-98,
1999-2000
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Terry Mason 1962
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Len Mole 1967
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Paul Pilkington 1964, 1965
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Martin Pinder 1969
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Ron Pinder 1959, 1960, 1961
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Robert Smith 1967; 1968-69
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Humphrey Smith 1969, 1970;
1983-84
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D Allan Spencer 1967, 1968
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Russell Thompson 1961
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Peter Tilbrook 1962, 1963
+ summer visits
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Fred Topliffe 1962, 1963
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Tony Walker
1964, 1965
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Brian Westlake
1961
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Eliot Wright 1969
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1970's
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Chris Amos 1972, 1973
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Dave Ball 1975
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Bill Block 1971-72, 1976-77,
1979-80, 1981-82, 1986-87
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Ian Collinge 1972, 1973
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Herbert Dartnall 1974, 1975
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Cynan Ellis-Evans 1976, 1977
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Tim Hooker 1972, 1973
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Peter Jennings 1971, 1972
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Jeremy Light 1970, 1971;
1973-74
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Gordon Picken 1975, 1976
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Julian Priddle 1975, 1976
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Mike Richardson 1971, 1972
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Jay Rushby 1972
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Richard Webb 1971
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David Weller 1972, 1973
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1980's
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Dennis Allsopp 1980-81
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Paul Brazier 1989, 1990
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Stephen Bridgman 1982
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Paul Burren 1985, 1986
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Ray Cannon 1983
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Andrew Clarke 1986-87, 1990-91,1992-93,1994-95
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Martin Davey 1987, 1993,
1994; 1989-90, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99,1999-2000,2000-01
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Neil Fitch 1980, 1981
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Barry Green 1984, 1985
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Paul Harrison 1984
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Paul M Harrisson 1981, 1982
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Peter Hizzett 1983, 1984,
1987
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Tom Lachlan-Cope 1980
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Gavin Lishman 1981
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Peter Macko 1985, 1986, 1990,
1991
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Colin Maiden 1975, 1976
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Ali Malik 1981, 1982
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Rolf Maslen 1973-74
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Richard Parker 1983
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Jon Pickup 1986, 1987
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Kevin Puttock 1987, 1988
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Mike Richardson 1971, 1972
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Damien Sanders 1981
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Mark Sanders 1983, 1984
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Paul Tearle 1984
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Andrew Tucker 1985, 1986
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Yoav Tzabar 1987
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Stephen Vincent 1982, 1983
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David Walton 1984-85 and
subsequent summers
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Paul Ward 1985-86
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1990's
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Rod Arnold 1990
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Pete Convey 1990 and subsequent
summers
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Mathew Davies 1998-99
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Matthew Edworthy
1994, 1995
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Helen Edworthy
(nee Butler) 1996; 1999-2000
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John Everett 1995
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Peter Lens
1995
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Amanda Lynnes 1996-97, 1997-98,
1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01
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Andrew Marriott 1995-96,
1996-97
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William Marshall 1993
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David Pearce 1997-98, 1998-99,
1999-2000
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Ian Smart 1992, 1995
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Matthew Tallents
1995
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Ellen Bazeley-Wright (BAS
Archivist) and Chris Eldon Lee (BAS archivist
and Oral History)
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Pictures
received from:
| Dennis Allsop |
| A D Bailey |
| Paul Broady |
| Charles Gimingham |
| Peter Hobbs |
| Peter Jennings |
| Gordon Picken |
| Robin Sherman |
| Allan Spencer |
| Jim Stammers |
| Peter Tilbrook |
| Walter Townsend |
| Paul Ward |
| James Young
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| BAS Archives |
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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!
- Tim Hooker |
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| 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.
- Tim Hooker |
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| 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!
- Tim Hooker |
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| 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.
- Tim Hooker |
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| 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.
- Ian Johnson |
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I showed someone an album
of prints of Signy I have a little while ago and they commented - "was it
always so sunny?" - if only they knew!
Signy Antarctica 2003
Main Accommodation and Boatshed 2003
Supply Ship 1953
Sea Ice Relief November 1972
Orwell - Factory Whaler in 1925
Svetlana - she of the Passage
Peter Hobbs and pups 1962
Derek S (?) and dog
Dogs on the Gourlay Slope
Esme
Ginger the Signy Cat 1962
One GP egg's an oeuf for me
Midwinter Menu 1958
Feeding time in the plastic hut
Pushing a sledge on sea ice
Bye then.... - last call flares
A step too far, climb the rope to finish the race
Appendectomy
- aren't you glad this wasn't you?
Building Foca hut in 1960
Still going strong in 1986, Foca hut
Preparing a diving hole
Having a lovely time, wish you were here
Summer relief at Signy
Look mum, me and my friend in Antarctica
I was that man!
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