the commonwealth trans-antarctic expedition 1955-1958

329 Pages·2015·3.8 MB·English

by  Nathan Wain

THE COMMONWEALTH TRANS-ANTARCTIC
EXPEDITION 1955-1958

HOW THE CROSSING OF ANTARCTICA MOVED NEW ZEALAND TO
RECOGNISE ITS ANTARCTIC HERITAGE AND TAKE AN EQUAL PLACE
AMONG ANTARCTIC NATIONS

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy (Antarctic Studies – History)
University of Canterbury
Gateway Antarctica
Stephen Walter Hicks
2015
Statement of Authority & Originality

I certify that the work in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree nor has it
been submitted as part of requirements for a degree except as fully acknowledged within the
text.

I also certify that the thesis has been written by me. Any help that I have received in my
research and the preparation of the thesis itself has been acknowledged. In addition, I certify
that all information sources and literature used are indicated in the thesis.

Elements of material covered in Chapter 4 and 5 have been published in:

Electronic version:
Stephen Hicks, Bryan Storey, Philippa Mein-Smith, ‘Against All Odds: the birth of the
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955-1958’, Polar Record, Volume00,(0),
pp.1-12, (2011), Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Print version:
Stephen Hicks, Bryan Storey, Philippa Mein-Smith, ‘Against All Odds: the birth of the
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955-1958’, Polar Record, Volume 49, Issue 1,
pp. 50-61, Cambridge University Press, 2013

Signature of Candidate

________________________________
Table of Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................................................... ii
Preface ...................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. iv
Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. vi
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... x
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
Polar Exploration - A Historical Perspective: ............................................................................................... 2
The Heroic Age – Britain at the Antipodes .................................................................................................. 5
The Ross Dependency – The Archipelago Expands – The Political Context ........................................ 7
The 1950’s – Decade of the TAE, the IGY and the Cold War ................................................................ 12
2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 16
3. Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 22
Vision of a ‘Crossing of Antarctica’ ............................................................................................................. 43
Recent books published about the TAE and the IGY .............................................................................. 46
4. The Beginning...................................................................................................................... 55
4.1 Gaining Government Approval & Commonwealth Participation .............................................................. 55
The UK TAE Decision ............................................................................................................................... 55
TAE is proposed – Polar Committee Meeting of March 1953 ................................................................... 60
Duncan Carse Enters the Scene .................................................................................................................. 62
Internal Resistance from the Foreign Office, the RGS and SPRI ............................................................... 67
The Commonwealth TAE Decisions .......................................................................................................... 74
New Zealand Makes its Decision ............................................................................................................... 78
4.2 Expedition Structure and Governance........................................................................................................ 87
The UK TAE Governance Framework ....................................................................................................... 89
Wellington Engages with its London Counterpart ..................................................................................... 91
Harry Kirkwood RN – Captain of the HMNZS Endeavour ...................................................................... 105
Selection of a Leader for the New Zealand Support Party ....................................................................... 108
4.3 Preparing for the Journeys ....................................................................................................................... 119
Advance Parties, Staffing and Training .................................................................................................... 120
Base Site Selection ................................................................................................................................... 136
The UK Base – ‘Shackleton’ .................................................................................................................... 137
The New Zealand Base – ‘Scott Base’: PART I (1955-1956) Three New Zealand Observers join
Operation Deep Freeze ............................................................................................................................. 142
The New Zealand Base – ‘Scott Base’: PART II (1956-1957) After the arrival of Endeavour at McMurdo
Sound ........................................................................................................................................................ 154
Routes to the Polar Plateau ....................................................................................................................... 159
4.4 The Purchase of HMNZS Endeavour ....................................................................................................... 161
5. Enter the IGY and the US Navy ...................................................................................... 178
5.1 Global Political Scene .............................................................................................................................. 178
5.2 Britain and the IGY .................................................................................................................................. 181
The ‘Commonwealth’ label and suspicion of American intentions .......................................................... 182
5.3 New Zealand and the IGY........................................................................................................................ 187
Hallett Station ........................................................................................................................................... 198
5.4 The US Navy, the IGY, and the TAE ...................................................................................................... 205
5.5 Hillary’s ‘Dash to the Pole’ – A Reprise .................................................................................................. 212
6. Legacy of the TAE ............................................................................................................ 258
6.1 Science and the TAE ................................................................................................................................ 258
6.2 Finance ..................................................................................................................................................... 262
6.3 The Trans-Antarctic Association ............................................................................................................. 265
7. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 271
Epilogue ................................................................................................................................................... 283
8. Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 285
8.1 Sources ..................................................................................................................................................... 285
8.2 Interviews ................................................................................................................................................. 286
8.3 Locations .................................................................................................................................................. 287
9. References .......................................................................................................................... 288
List of Figures
Figure 1: Official Crest of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition Courtesy of John
Claydon ....................................................................................................................................... i
Figure 2: British Exploration Emblem honouring Sir Francis Drake, Captain James Cook and
Sir Francis Chichester – Westminster Abbey London - 1979 Photo: Stephen Hicks .............. iii
Figure 3: Crossing Party setting out from Shackleton base – 24 November 1957 Photo: Jon
Stephenson ................................................................................................................................ ix
Figure 4: Hillary’s Tractor Party leaving Scott Base – 14 October, 1957 A smoke bomb was
let off as a prank. The ‘Caboose’ housed bunks and acted as radio room. The tractor
enclosure was added by engineer Jim Bates. Photo: Bill Cranfield ......................................... ix
Figure 5: Map showing TAE route across Antarctica Source: No Latitude for Error, Sir
Edmund Hillary, 1961 ................................................................................................................ 1
Figure 6: Scott’s ship Discovery in Dundee Harbour Photo: Stephen Hicks ............................ 5
Figure 7: Icebreaker USS Glacier comes to assist HMNZS Endeavour – January 1957 The
pack ice had halted Endeavour’s advance and Captain Harry Kirkwood had been forced to
call on the American ship to clear a path towards Butter Point. Photo: Bill Cranfield ........... 15
Figure 8: Shackleton’s original Antarctic tractor as found at Scott’s old hut at Cape Evans
Photo: Neil Sandford................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 9: Map showing the areas surveyed by the three New Zealand sledging parties, Area
‘A’ by the Northern Party, ‘B’ by the Darwin Party and ‘C’ by the Southern Party during the
longest single sledging expedition ever carried out (1700 miles and 100 days). Source:
Antarctica, Helm-Miller, 1964 ................................................................................................ 36
Figure 10: Map showing the two alternate routes that Fuchs considered for the crossing from
either Stonington Island (broken) or Vahsel Bay (solid) Source: Fuchs’ TAE Plan 1953,
Antarctic Collection, UCL ....................................................................................................... 57
Figure 11: Dr.Vivian Fuchs while crossing Antarctica – 1958 Photo: Courtesy of Peter Fuchs
.................................................................................................................................................. 74
Figure 12: Fuchs’ original FIDS Journals Fuchs’ first discussion regarding a trans-Antarctic
crossing with Bernard Stonehouse, Ken Blaiklock and others at Stonington Island is recorded
therein ...................................................................................................................................... 86
Figure 13: Air Marshal Sir John Slessor, Chair of the TAE Committee of Management
Photo: Royal Air Force ............................................................................................................ 87
Figure 14: James Wordie, Chair of the Inter-Departmental Polar Committee Photo: New York
Times ........................................................................................................................................ 87
Figure 15: Frank Corner, New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner to the UK Photo:
Courtesy of Lynette Corner ..................................................................................................... 88
Figure 16: Hillary, RSC Chairman Charles Bowden & HRH the Duke of Edinburgh meet at
Lyttelton Harbour, December 1956 Photo: Courtesy Royal Collection, Windsor, UK .......... 88
Figure 17: Captain Harry Kirkwood marches to meet HRH the Duke of Edinburgh aboard
the HMNZS Endeavour – Lyttelton Harbour, December 1956 Photo: John Claydon .......... 107
Figure 18: RSC offer to Hillary of NZ Support Party leadership, 9June 1955 Photo: Hillary
archive, AWM, Auckland ...................................................................................................... 116
Figure 19: Theron beset in the Weddell Sea pack-ice – January 1956 The men shown are
working with picks, poles and shovels to try and free the ship. Photo: George Lowe .......... 118
Figure 20: Ken Blaiklock - Blaiklock is sitting in the crate where 8 men spent the first winter.
As group leader he was responsible for erecting Shackleton base. Photo: TAE photo archive,
ATL, Wellington .................................................................................................................... 120
Figure 21: Map showing the torturous route of the Theron and the positions of the British
IGY and TAE bases at Halley Bay and Vahsel Bay respectively. The TAE advance base at
South Ice, three hundred miles to the south is also shown. Source: No Latitude for Error, Sir
Edmund Hillary, 1961 ............................................................................................................ 123
Figure 22: Hillary driving Ferguson tractor while unloading the Theron at Vahsel Bay Note:
The tractor only employs a half-track at this stage Photo: TAE photo archive, ATL,
Wellington.............................................................................................................................. 129
Figure 23: On Tasman Glacier with Beaver aircraft - L to R Sir Edmund Hillary, John
Claydon, Bill Cranfield, Harry Ayres and George Marsh Photo: Mike Breen ..................... 134
Figure 24: Bill Smith trudging around McMurdo Sound looking for a site for Scott Base
Smith is probably at one of the Dailey Islands offshore from Butter Point Photo:
Trevor Hatherton .................................................................................................................... 142
Figure 25: Map of McMurdo Sound showing relative positions of Scott Base, Butter Point
and the Ferrar Glacier. They are approximately 35 miles apart. Source: USGS ................... 143
Figure 26: Bill Smith and Bernie Gunn preparing to explore the Ferrar Glacier – 1956 They
are at New Harbour with the Cathedral Rocks on the left and the Kukri Hills to the right.
Photo: Trevor Hatherton ....................................................................................................... 153
Figure 27: An IGY scientist gazes at HMNZS Endeavour berthed at Wellington – 1956 Photo:
Herb Orr ................................................................................................................................. 177
Figure 28: American cargo ship USS Arneb unloading supplies at Cape Hallett station during
the IGY - 1957 Photo: Jim Hager ......................................................................................... 200
Figure 29: Hillary and USN Admiral George Dufek chatting before the New Zealand tractor
party headed south from Scott Base, 14 October 1957 Photo: Bill Cranfield ....................... 212
Figure 30: Map showing the route of Hillary’s tractor party from Scott Base to the South
Pole. The overall distance is 1250 miles with 500 miles separating Depot 700 from the Pole.
Source: (RGS) The Crossing of Antarctica, Fuchs-Hillary, 1958 ......................................... 224
Figure 31: Hillary’s ‘Tractor Train’ travelling during the polar night Photo: John Claydon 230
Figure 32: Rear Admiral George Dufek with Sir Edmund Hillary at the South Pole the day of
arrival of Fuchs’ crossing party on 19 January 1958
Photo: US Navy – Dufek Archives, Syracuse University, NY, USA .................................... 239
Figure 33: Crossing Party Arriving at Scott Base, 2 March 1958 Photo: Bill Cranfield ....... 257
Figure 34: Fuchs & Hillary arrive at Wellington Town Hall – March 1958 Photo: ATL, TAE
Photo Archive, Wellington .................................................................................................... 270
Figure 1: Official Crest of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
Courtesy of John Claydon

1
“WE DON’T WANT TO WALK”

1 Dictum given to David Pratt, Transport and Engineer Officer for the TAE, by Sir John Slessor, Chairman of
the Committee of Management, during a meeting in London, interview with author, 24 June 2009,Battersea
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Foreword

FUCHS AND COMPANY CONQUER ANTARCTICA
“On January 5, 1922 shortly after 3:30 A.M. at a whaling station in South Georgia, Sir
Ernest Henry Shackleton died after suffering a heart attack. The last entry in the diary of this
Antarctic explorer reads; “In the darkening twilight I saw a lone star hover gem-like above
the bay.”
Sir Henry’s dream was the traversing of the continent whose unflagging torments seemed to
fascinate a host of adventurous souls like his. To him this was ‘the last grand journey left to
man’.
This ‘last grand journey’ is now over. We wonder how Dr Fuchs and his men feel about it all,
and what they think of the finality of Sir Henry’s statement.
Our opinion is, as long as human society can produce men with the spirit of Vivian Fuchs,
the last grand journey is a trip to that gem-like star above the bay --- and beyond that star,
there will be another.”2

2 Ross Island Review, 2 March 1958 – (Ross Island Review Scoops World Press), edited by
Sotorios Barber. This newsletter was published by the US Navy team based at McMurdo
Station on the day Dr Vivian Fuchs and his team of eleven men arrived at New Zealand’s
Scott Base accompanied by guide-passenger Sir Edmund Hillary. The Americans were eager
and active ‘observers’ of the CTAE throughout its journey. It is probable that Sotorios Barber
is a thinly disguised alias for the Daily Mail reporter, Noel Barber.

ii