Description
Object description
British officer trained as pilot with Fleet Air Arm in GB and Canada, 1944-1946; civilian meteorologist with British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica, 1946- 1949; student with University of London Air Squadron in GB, 1950-1953; post graduate student with Oxford University in GB and in Antarctica, 1954-1960; academic with Canterbury University in New Zealand, 1960-1965
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Hull, GB, 1926-1944: family; education; evacuation of school to Thornham, 1940; reasons for wanting to join Fleet Air Arm; membership of Air Training Corps; expectation of German invasion, 1940; joining Auxiliary Fire Service as bicycle messenger during German Air Force attacks on Hull; following progress of war; early interest in geography. Recollections of enlistment and training with Fleet Air Arm in GB and Canada, 1944-1946: background to enlistment; status as officer cadet under training; pattern of basic training at Royal Naval Air Station Lee on Solent; opinion of training; naval training in English Channel; problems with motion sickness; voyage from GB to Canada aboard Queen Elizabeth; pattern of flying training in Canada; overseas training schemes; flying De Havilland Chipmunk.
REEL 2 Continues: opinion of flying skills; physical training programme; pattern of advanced flying training in North American Harvard; effect of end of Second World War on training programme; staying with Canadian family; question of choice of which type of pilot to become; instructors; destruction of Fleet Air Arm log book; return to GB; background to becoming officer instructor with Educational Vocational Training in GB, 1945-1946; role as educational vocational training officer. Recollections of period as civilian meteorologist in British Antarctic Survey in Antarctic, 1946-1949: reasons for first Antarctic expeditions during Second World War.
REEL 3 Continues: volunteering as meteorologist for first post war Antarctic expedition; prior meteorology training with Fleet Air Arm; selection process; voyage from GB to Antarctic; location of camp; duties; ex-service composition of survey personnel; importance of wartime service; daily life with survey group; building hangar for aircraft; dealing with cases of withdrawn personnel; relations within survey group; cooking rota.
REEL 4 Continues: nature of rations; supplementing rations; organising cooking; use of aircraft to transport stores; decision to always have two man flights; weather forecasting; aircraft types flown by neighbouring American survey team; reasons for choice of Auster; characteristics and limitations of Auster; modifications to Auster Autocrat; transporting of Auster Autocrat to Antarctic; assembling Auster Autocrat on arrival with survey; range of Auster Autocrat method used by previous 1930s expedition to operating De Havilland Gypsy Moth; operating Auster in arctic conditions; modification of Auster Autocrat carburettor.
REEL 5 Continues: account of crash landing with Auster Autocrat in Antarctic including reasons for combined mission with Americans, failure of American crew to sight their aircraft, problems encountered on flight back to survey base over plateau, engine failure, crash during forced landing on ice, injuries sustained during crash, attempt to contact base with radio, clothing and equipment available, decision to walk towards base, overnight stay at crash site, search operations conducted by Americans, rescue by American pilot, problems with footwear, period spent on ice after crash and degree of concern about situation.
REEL 6 Continues: composition of American survey team; relations with American survey team; need for co-operation between British and American survey teams; work with sledging team after loss of aircraft; discovery of Emperor penguin colony; expedition to observe Emperor penguin colony; living in tents; obtaining examples of penguin eggs; observing behaviour of penguins. Aspects of period as student and researcher at University of London, 1950-1953: return to GB to university; membership of university air squadron; memories of David Lack.
REEL 7 Continues: Aspects of period as civilian meteorologist in British Antarctic Survey in Antarctic, 1946-1949: question of colour of Auster Autocrat used in Antarctic; flying out of survey team in De Havilland Beaver aircraft; flight in Avro York from South America to GB. Aspects of period as student and researcher at University of London, 1950-1953: activities with university air squadron; types of aircraft flown; question of possibility of reserve service in Korea; concentration on honing flying skills; composition and organisation of university air squadron; attending camps; opinion of North American Harvard. Aspects of period as post graduate student in GB and in Antarctic, 1953- 1960: obtaining post at Oxford University; marriage; pattern of academic activities and expeditions. Recollections of period as academic with Canterbury University in New Zealand, 1960-1965: obtaining post; request to deal with problem with sea birds at airport.
REEL 8 Continues: attempts to solve problems with sea birds; his solution to problem; renewing pilots license to observe positions of whales, dolphins and sea birds and consequently fish stocks off coast line; subsequent development of fishing grounds off New Zealand coast by Japanese fishing fleets; need for aerial observation of fish stocks; use of flying for conservation methods; character of Piper Cubs, Apache and Aztec; character of flying done in observing fish stocks; setting up Antarctic Research unit at university; size of American presence in Antarctic; flights with over Antarctic with US Antarctic Survey pilots.
REEL 9 Continues: effect of low level flying on penguin colonies; research into decline of penguin colony in Antarctic; American refusal to accept territorial claims in Antarctic; his method of dealing with visits by American VIPs affecting penguin colony; question of changes in perception of penguin and nature of tourist visits to Antarctic. Reflections on civilian and military use of Antarctic: growth in tourism to Antarctic; question of regulation and nature of tourism to Antarctic.
REEL 10 Continues: question of controlling mineral extraction in Antarctic; lack of regulation of tourism in Antarctic; character of Antarctic Treaty; question of military presence in Antarctic; incident when Argentineans threatened British Survey team in Antarctic; attitude of Argentineans and Chileans to their Antarctic territorial claims; support in Argentina for invasion of Falkland Islands; relations between Argentineans and Chileans; question of American presence in Antarctic; nature of American Operation Highjump in Antarctic, 1946-1947.
REEL 11 Continues: Reflections on use of aviation in Antarctic: story of early aviation exploits in Antarctic; use of aircraft by Norwegian whaling fleets in Antarctic during 1930s; story of first aerial survey work in Antarctic, 1928-1930; character of arctic explorer Byrd and his expeditions to Arctic and Antarctic; Byrd's use of aircraft in Antarctic; Byrd's role in publicising Antarctic.
REEL 12 Continues: types of aircraft used by Byrd for Antarctic expeditions; Byrd's attempt to claim Antarctic for US; closure of American expedition to Antarctic, 1941; character of American post-war expeditions to Antarctic including use of aircraft; Byrd's reduced role in Operation Deep Freeze; Lincoln Elsworth's expeditions to Antarctic; use of De Havilland Gypsy Moth during Oxford/Cambridge expeditions during 1930s.
REEL 13 Continues: Operation Talabin during Second World War; prior recollection of operating Auster Autocrat in Antarctic; use of aircraft by expeditions in Antarctic; use of Lockheed C-140 Hercules in Antarctic; use of blue ice runways by wheeled aircraft in Antarctic; use of small aircraft in Antarctic. Flight in North American Harvard for 80th birthday including layout of cockpit.
REEL 14 Continues: Aspects of period as civilian meteorologist with British Antarctic Survey in Antarctic, 1946-1948: clothing worn; question of changes in clothing and equipment used in Antarctic; personal hygiene; toilet facilities; disposal of rubbish from Antarctic; navigating in Antarctic.