Halley Bay - 1957

<-1956
1958->

Notable events/features of the year

  • IGYE Main Party arrive in MS Magga Dan
  • TAE Otter aircraft flies over Tottan Mountains from Halley Bay
  • Original genny shed, balloon shed, non-magnetic hut, and radio-echo hut built, plus 3 remote aerial huts
  • First met sonde ascent
  • IGY (International Geophysical Year) starts 1 July
  • Radio signals received from Sputnik I, first artificial satellite

People

+SmartR.A.(Robin)BL, MO
+AmphlettA.(Alf)Diesel mech.
+AmyK.(Ken)Carpenter
+BarclayL.W.(Les)Ionospherics
+BellchambersW.H.(Bill)Ionospherics
+BeneyI.C.(Ivor)Diesel mech.
+BlackieA.(Andrew)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
+BrenanP.M.(Philip)Radio-astronomy
+BurtonJ.M.C.(Jim)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
+CansfieldD.L.M.(David)Ionospherics
+ConstantineL.(Len)Cook
+DyerH.E.G.(Henry)Wireless operator
+EdwardsM.J.(Malcolm)Cook
+EvansR.(Ron)Wireless operator
HarrisonD.P.(David)Radio-astronomy
JeffriesP.(Peter)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
+MacDowallJ.(Joe)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
MorrisF.(Fred)Carpenter
+ThomasG.M.(Gwynne)Auroral & Airglow
+TribbleD.T.(David)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
+WardD.G.(Derek)Met., Geomag., Glacio., Seismo.
+ Deceased

Pictures

Expedition photo:
IGYE Halley Bay base photo, 1957-58
Halley Bay IGYE 1956-59 (Main party and first relief members); taken 0015hrs (local time) Jan 1st 1958
Ken Amy; Philip Brennan; Joe McDowell; Ivor Beney?; John Smith; Alf Amphlett; John Gain; David Harrison; Pete Jefferies?; Henry Dyer (green hat); David Cansfield; Andrew Blackie; David Tribble (IGYE sweater); Malcolm Edwards; Derek Ward; Jim Burton; Fred Morris?; Robin Smart; Gwyne Thomas; William Bellchambers; Bert Brooker; Len Constantine; Les Barclay; (missing: Ben Ellis?).
Picture by Derek Ward

Group photo (reunion, 2000):

Halley Bay IGYE photo, 2000
Back row: John Heap*, Bert Brooker, John Smith, Jim Burton, Len Constantine, Joe MacDowell, Bill Bellchambers, Les Barclay, David Cansfield
Front row: David Harrison, Alf Amphlett, Derek Ward
Photo by Joe MacDowell
Taken on the occasion of the 44th Anniversary Reunion of the Main Party of the Royal Society IGY Antarctic Expedition to Halley Bay, Coats Land 1956-1969. Held on Tuesday 19 September 2000 at The Pontefract Castle, Wigmore Street, London, England.
*Former Director of the Scott Polar Ressearch Institute, University of Cambridge, and a shipmate of the expedition on its voyage to Halley Bay in 1956.

Group photo (Hurst Green reunion, 2018):

Hurst Green reunion photo, 2018
Photo by Philip Brenan
Shireburn Arms, Hurst Green, Clitheroe, Lancashire, 17th May 2018
Another photo by Philip.
Annual reunions have been held at Hurst Green in recent years for
members of the IGYE, TAE and a few Base-Z FIDS.

Royal Society IGYE hut

Royal Society IGYE hut
Royal Society base at Halley Bay, established in 1956 for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) 1957-58 showing original living hut after the first winter.
Photo by David Limbert
From the BAS image library ref: 10003443; used with permission. No unauthorised copying.

Main hut
Main hut; March 1957? Picture by Derek Ward
Erected by advance party showing drift to lee of hut.

More pictures by Derek Ward.

The Big White South Long Ago - a talk by David Harrison. Comments by David.

The Halley Bay IGYE Visitors Board.

Oral History Recording

Bill Bellchambers

Other information, anecdotes etc.

Links

16 Nov 2019
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