Halley Bay - 1967

• Halley-II ('Grillage Village') constructed on new site
• Largest ever wintering party - 38 men
• VLF recordings initiated by Bill Laidlaw and Jim Jamieson
• Skidoos introduced
• Squadcall HF radios introduced for communication with sledging parties
• Hobbits dog team formed - leader Frosty
• Coastline at the original Halley Bay breaks away, making future reliefs there impossible
• First visit by US aircraft, to evacuate injured doctor, John Brotherhood. More...
• Appendicectomy carried out on base

Pictures

Base photo:

A Williams - D McKerrow - A Wilson - G Smith - K Gainey - M Durrant - G McWilliam - W Laidlaw - J Jamieson
M Skidmore - C Blossom - R Docchar - J Shirtcliffe - N Fothergill - A Smith - P Wharton - D Hill - A Etchells - J Brotherhood
N Mathys - A Johnson - G Sykes - R Thomas - J Gallsworthy - J Carter - C Gostick - K Halliday - D Brook
C Wornham - M Burgin - M Samuel - A Baker- E Chinn -P Noble - P Coslett - J Porter
C Reed - M Baring Gould

Picture supplied by Tony Jackson

The Old Base (Halley-I). [Painting by Mike Skidmore]

RRS John Biscoe departs Halley Bay, 1967. [Painting by Mike Skidmore]

Changi. [Painting by Mike Skidmore]

Oral History Recordings

• Tony Baker
• John Brotherhood
• Mike Burgin
• Paul Coslett
• Alan Etchells
• Keith Gainey
• John Gallsworthy
• Dave Hill
• Jim Shirtcliffe
• Mike Skidmore
• Alan Smith

Other information, anecdotes etc.

Bob Thomas's trip to Christmas Box Hill

Perla Dan (images from Robin Walker)

Ken Halliday says:

It was the time Grillage Village was built 1967 (I hope I have the year correct.) We were invaded by hairy builders, such as Fanny Hill, Golly, Big Al, but to name a few. A very busy year, especially when having to commute between the two bases which were about two miles apart. I also have a lot of happy memories of the Black Hand Gang. Dad Etchells, JC John Carter, Abdul Jeff Smith. This is a really interesting web. Keep up the good work. I will have a look around in the loft and hunt out some old photos later. [29 June 2004] [I was] probably the first Falkland Islander to winter at Halley Bay. [13 April 1967]

We resurrected it [the Lansing Snow plane] from the ice and snow in 1967 and got it working. I was towed behind it on odd days. We used it for pulling sledges.. [20 July 2005]

The Eliason, aka Elsan, this I believe first arrived in Halley in '63 (see Halley Bay 1963 Dad Etchells). In 1967 it was the transport of glaciologist Bob ('Speedy Tom') Thomas. It was driven by a Briggs and Stratton 5HP motor through a centrifical clutch system. Modern Bombardier Skidoos arrived in 1967 with 300cc Rotax engines; these were piloted by Joe Porter and Al ('Big Al') Smith. [11 Apr 2014]

Dolls. My mother made me a large doll when I went south. Not blow up, but well stuffed, or should I say appropriately stuffed, or may be what I really mean is that she was a stuffed doll and of the appropriate shape. I think she stayed in Grillage Village. [20 January 2006]

Wonderful base. Wonderful team. [07 June 2012]

Halley 2 1967-1970 Reunion

Films and blogs - Mike Durrant

Bog chisel - Peter Noble

Halley Bay Power failure 1967 - Chris Sykes

Sophia Loren painting

Links

• Antarctic Paintings (Mike Skidmore)
• Polar Poetry (Peter Noble)
• Folk Antarctica (Peter Noble)
• Big Al Smith pile driving in South Georgia, early 1970s. (photo: Keith Avery)
• Pengwinge (Keith Gainey)
• Dr John Brotherhood
• Bob Thomas (Oral History Transcript)
• Bob Thomas (Brunt Ice Shelf report 1973)