Looking S.E. at Clifford House
Base H - Signy Island Antarctica

  ©Copyright - Crown, expired, photograph - Robin G de Q (meteorologist) - picture taken 17.05.1947

There was a base at Cape Geddes on Laurie Island (Base C). Mainly for political reasons, but also for more pragmatic reasons it  was decided by James Wordie to move the personnel to Signy Island in March 1947.

The new base materials were assembled in Stanley and taken to Signy on board the Trepassy, the site of the base was decided on and work began erecting the hut on March the 10th 1947. The personnel from cape Geddes arrived a week later and finished off building the hut and unloading stores.

Clifford House was the first hut erected on Signy in Borge Bay, near to the current base, but at the top of the slope on the way to Gash Cove. This gave it a better prospect able to easily see Normanna Strait, but considerably more exposed and more difficult to supply with all cargo having to be manhandled up rocky slopes.

Gordon Robin, the first BC calculated that 2 million foot-pounds of effort were put in by the four base members in moving the stores 170 yards up a 70 foot climb in four days.

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