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MARGUERITE BAY

Stories, Anecdotes and "Grips" – By Fids, for Fids (and Friends and Relatives)

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 * Home
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 * Fossil Bluff
 * Horseshoe
 * Rothera
 * Stonington
 * Archives
 * Aircraft & Aircrew
 * Dogs & Pups
 * History
 * Movies & Videos
 * Ships & Mariners
 * Topo Survey
 * Vets Corner
 * Why I…

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A – HOME

Drummy Small and The Huns in Spindrift - Elton Hill Area - 1972

Stonington Base and Neny Fjord - 1972

Bransfield at Jones Ice Shelf - 1974

Admirals and Gaels - Ali Skinner Geology - 1973

Midnight Sun at Adelaide

Stonington Island viewed from Summit of Roman IV - 1972

Adelaide Base and Fuchs Ice Piedmont - Photo: Mike Warr

RRS John Biscoe - Jones Ice Shelf, Sealing - 1972

View of USAS East Base from the Ice Cave - Stonington, 1972

Pilatus Porter Arriving at Stonington, 1966

Admirals at Mt. Faith - Ali Skinner Geology - 1971

Horseshoe Island and Base Y - 1968

Rothera, 2001

Twin Otter, Mt. Jackson Area, 11pm and Sun still up- Summer 1973

RRS Shackleton at Deception

Fossil Bluff in Winter - 1969

RRS Ernest Shackleton at Biscoe Wharf, Rothera - 2001

Admirals on the Plateau - Ali Skinner Summer Geology

Neny Glacier and Fjord from the Air - 1973

Rothera - Winter 1978

Fossil Bluff - Cloudscape in late Winter, featuring the Bog Tent - 1975

Sea Ice Sledging, Adelaide 1969

Trepassey House, old FIDS British Base and Greenhouse - 1972

Rothera - Original Base and Bingham Hut (blue) in Foreground

VP-FAP Twin Otter at Adelaide, 1969

Stonington in Winter - 1973

Plateau Edge at the top of Sodabread - 1970

Off Horse Point, George VI Sound, Mt. Bagshawe in background - 1970

Bransfield Unloading Teams on Jones Ice Shelf, 1974

Admirals on the Plateau, Gaels Leading, Ali Skinner Summer Geology - 1970

Empty Sledging Meet-up (Anybody know where?)

Stonington Window, 1973

Damoy Airstrip, 1979

Base E in August - 1966

John Biscoe approaching Adelaide - 1967

Base E from Back Bay

Admirals & Gaeis - Ali Skinner Geology - 1973

Camped at Mt. Barre - Fuchs Ice Piedmont, Adelaide

The Spartans at "The Fid" peak in The Traffic Circle

The-Picts, Jones Iceshelf, looking towards Mount Wolferton, now Pegasus Peak

Stonington Base and Neny Fjord

4MP Last meet-up

Renamed Endurance - Bosun Robbie Peck



Midnight Sun at Adelaide - (Photo: Mike Warr)




“Over all the transitoriness of summer life and activity, Graham Land stood, a
few miles away, massive mountains, huge glaciers, unchanging…proud!”

Cliff Pearce, “the Silent Sound” – The Book Guild Ltd.

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Marguerite Bay Survey – Northern Area
(Compilation: Roger Scott)

This website relates to the activities, work and people of BAS (The British
Antarctic Survey) and its predecessor FIDS (the Falkland Islands Dependences
Survey) from the period starting with BGLE in 1934, currrently through to 2000.
All the people involved in these activities in the Antarctic are collectively
referred to as “Fids” on the website.

This period covers all the exploratory Topographical Survey work carried out
which produced the maps (see right) which are the basis of those now available
to current day science and the general public, together with the related
Geological, Geophysical and Glaciological exploration over that period, with
extensive Meteorological observations performed throughout those years.

The area covered includes work carried out using Husky dog teams from Detaille
Island Base (Latitude 66° 86′ S), Adelaide Island, Horseshoe Island and
Stonington Island, Bases; work based at Fossil Bluff Base (Latitude 71° 19′ S)
carried out by ‘skidoos’ and Muskeg tractors; and work further South still,
airlifted and supported by aircraft operating from Rothera Base.

The website contains collection of historical and entertaining stories and facts
– gripping stories of wintering at Fossil Bluff; epic winter journeys – in the
Northern fjords, on Marguerite Bay sea ice trying to reach solid ground, and on
Sodabread; Fids inadvertently marooned in various outlandish places; Otter,
Porter and Twotter flights out of Adelaide and later Rothera to lay depots (and
sometimes permanently mark depots – each crash landing its own story!);
adventures and misadventures of the ships in Marguerite Bay; the development of
Rothera and its increasing capabilities. The website is available for everybody
to see and read the stories, pictures and research papers, rather than such
information being lost in official archives.

Marguerite Bay is a beautiful area which left a permanent mark on the lives of
hundreds of Fids, and we encourage all you Marguerite Bay Fids to contribute
your yarns, stories and unique grips, whether from the 1930’s or the 2000’s.  We
want YOU to add your stories, whether major, significant, funny, serious, or
just plain Fid-stupid.

Note the “Tabs” at the top of this and every page, one for each Base in
Marguerite Bay, and for the various other related Topics – Dogs, Ships,
Aircraft, and the “Archive of Interesting Stuff”

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SEARCH THE WEBSITE

Use this Search facility to find all the references to Anybody or Any Place
involved in Marguerite Bay

Search
Search

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STERLING NEWS

David Allen of the BARG DVD Team, publishers of ‘Falklands – The Air War’,
arranged the donation of the Matching Funds sum of £1,000 towards the upkeep of
this Marguerite Bay website. Grateful Thanks to David, and Douglas Rough who
initiated the discussion READ ON
Jonathan Walton is going to be onboard Hurtigruten’s ‘MS Roald Amundsen’ next
January/February.  Jonathan has arranged a 10% discount code for these
‘Antarctic Circle’ trips.  The 16 day itinerary includes (weather permitting)
visiting Detaille, Bongrain Point, Red Rock Ridge, Stonington, Horseshoe,
Petermann, Damoy, Deception.  (Twiggy has already booked the 13th Feb departure)

You can book online here using the discount code ANT102223 :

https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-gb/expeditions/cruises/antarctic-circle-expedition-2023-2024/
https://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/booking-search/?voyagePageId=74260&_ccid=74260&_ccst=231&_hrgb=3

Please pass the code on to others who may not be on this list.

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MARGUERITE BAY?

Jean-Baptiste Charcot and Marguerite

15 January 1905 – Jean-Baptiste Charcot led and financed the French Antarctic
Expedition with the purpose built ship ‘Français’. The ship was a relatively
small 3 masted schooner of 250 tons and 105 feet overall, but was “exceptionally
well built of first class materials”. On the advice of Adrien de Gerlache of the
‘Belgica’, whom Charcot consulted, the ship was strengthened at the waterline
with transverse beams, the bow was reinforced with iron.

Le Français ran aground south west of Adelaide Island, within sight of Alexander
Island, and had to retreat northwards sighting the coast of Loubet Land to the
east. While in the Antarctic Charcot was divorced for desertion by his first
wife Jeanne, a grand-daughter of Victor Hugo.

In 1907, Charcot married Marguerite “Meg” Cléry. She was a painter and
illustrator who accompanied him on some of his voyages and was constantly
supportive. At the end of the year their daughter, Monique, was born.

‘Pourquoi-Pas’

15th January 1909 – Charcot, in ‘Pourquoi-Pas?’ rounded the southern cape of
Adelaide Island and named it Cape Alexandra after the royal spouse of Edward
VII. This was in honour of the English Captain John Biscoe who had discovered
the island.

Charcot named the bay after his wife Marguerite, and Jenny Island after the wife
of second officer Bongrain.

Read “The Rest of The Story” of How Marguerite Bay was explored, long before and
long after Charcot – 200 years from 1821 to 2021: HERE

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WIKIFID – THE FID GLOSSARY – CHRIS EDWARDS & OTHERS

There are surely lots more Fidese words – Use the Comments to send more – Here:

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LATEST ADDITIONS

September 21st, 2022
FIDS Deception Songs
Ian ‘Spike’ Sykes
At a post-Dundee AGM Gathering, Spike was cajoled into knocking out some old
tunes on his banjo. Age, Memory and alcohol meant that only shortened versions
could be performed that night, but true to his word, he racked his brains on a
more sober day and produced the FULL VERSIONS
Brian Hill (GA – KG – 1970, E – 1971)
and a big part of this website**, was awarded the Admirals’ Medal “for being a
good boy”, by the Lieut. Governor (Queen’s rep in Newfoundland) at Government
House Aug 23. “A bit nerve-wracking. Great honour though. Appropriate name for
the medal given the team we both drove!”
** – Among much, bleg & depubing specialist. Link to MORE



July 31st, 2022
East Coast Geology – Bowman Coast
Bernie Care
Eight BAS sledgers gathered in the Survey/GA office at Base E early on the
morning of 29 Aug 1974 at the start of what was to be the final spring and
summer field seasons on the Antarctic Peninsula for dog-team supported
scientific parties. That past winter we had been informed by BAS management that
Stonington Island Base would close at the end of the 1975 summer work season.
July 31st, 2022
Establishing Damoy Point Refuge
Bernie Care
The author and about ten other Fids (scientists, builders and GA’s) arrived off
Doumer Island at the northwestern end of the Antarctic Peninsula in late October
1975 after sailing down on the RRS John Biscoe from Southampton via Argentina
and Port Stanley. The plan was to fly from the Doumer airstrip to Adelaide
Island, and from there onto our respective summer work areas – but first we had
a bit of building to do!! 
July 31st, 2022
Geology Adventures on Rothschild Island
Bernie Care
The first reported sighting of Rothschild Island was made by Thaddeus  von
Bellingshausen in 1821 during his voyage past the NW coast of Alexander Island.
He described three mountains separated by gaps, which are now identified from
west to east as Mirnyy peak (Rothschild Island), and St George Peak (Havre Mts)
and Mt. Bayonne (Rouen Mts) in northern Alexander Island.
July 20th, 2022
Seven Happy Years
Mike Bell
Here are a few unedited snippets from those letters to my mother together with
some reminiscences to try to paint a simple picture of our fun and adventure
during those happy years.
July 20th, 2022
Becoming a Fid
Rod Pashley
1! pause… 2! pause… 3! pause… Three loud blasts from the bridge on the RRS John
Biscoe’s ships horn as we left Southampton for Antarctica – Wednesday 23rd
October 1968. I would finally arrive at Base T (Adelaide Island) on Saturday,
8th March 1969.





June 4th, 2022
The ‘Piloto Pardo’ comes visiting Adelaide
Rob-Campbell-Lent
Steve Wormald kindly brought my attention to Richard Barrett’s new story “The
Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition 1955 – 57 (FIDASE)”,
that he had published in MBW (here’s a LINK ), as he thought it might be
suitable for my weekend reading. He was right. I eventually found details and
the date of the ship’s visit to Base “T” in the BAS newsletter for January 1971,
and from there I found my own diary entries for the two day visit and flying
operations.
From my diary Sunday 17 January 1971.
Woke up very late in the morning and heard someone telling Richy (BC) that the
boat from the (Chilean Navy ship) ‘Piloto Pardo’ was here, and someone ought to
get up and meet them!
May 26th, 2022
The Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition 1955 – 57
(FIDASE)
Richard Barrett
In July 1945 Peter Mott, who had spent the war years with the Indian Military
Survey, wrote to Brian Roberts (formerly of BGLE) at the Foreign Office Research
Department with a proposal for an air survey of the Antarctic Peninsula. Wheels
turned very slowly and Peter was recruited into the Colonial Survey department
of Brigadier Hotine, but instead of developing the Antarctic project he was
instructed to go to Ghana. Declining this offer Peter joined Hunting Aerosurveys
Ltd as Chief Surveyor.

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THESE FIDS OR THEIR FAMILIES CONTRIBUTED STORIES & ANECDOTES

Last Updated October 25th, 2022

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With Grateful Acknowledgements to:



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Related Links

HALLEY BAY WEBSITE (Z-FIDS)

BAS Club

BAMT (British Antarctic Monuments Trust)

BAOHP (British Antarctic Oral History Program)

UKAHT (UK Antarctic Heritage Trust)

BAS (British Antarctic Survey)

DFB (Dictionary of Falklands Biography)

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BACKGROUND MUSIC

“The Song Of The Ice” below by Steve Garrett will automatically play as
background music when you open this Home page, and will loop. You can stop the
music as with any other music video, and it will stop automatically when another
MP4 video is started. The complete “The Song Of The Ice” video is on the Movies
& Videos page







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