News

February 2012

The centenary of Scott’s last expedition to the South Pole is being commemorated by Royal Mail with the issue of a special issue stamp, as part of a larger stamp issue entitled: Kings and Queens, The House of Windsor.

The issue features the five monarchs since the start of the 20th century, culminating in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrates her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 – the only other monarch to achieve this was Queen Victoria in 1897. The fascinating journey through more than 600 years of British history started in February 2008 with the House of Lancaster and York; launching Royal Mail’s most significant series of stamps since the Millennium stamp programme.

A stamp marking the centenary of Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole is featured in a miniature sheet marking four events and achievements of the era. The Scott centenary stamp (available as part of a miniature sheet) is available from the 2nd February 2012. Please visit Royal Mail for more details.

December 2011

This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the Norwegian Roald Amundsen becoming the first explorer to reach the South Pole. On December 14th 1911 Roald Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Olav Bjaaland, Oscar Wisting and Sverre Hassell reached the Geographic South Pole. They named their camp Polheim meaning ‘Home on the Pole’. Three days after arriving at the Pole they set out on their return journey to their base camp leaving behind them a small tent, the Norwegian Flag and a letter stating their accomplishment. Their success was publicly announced on March 7, 1912, when they arrived in Hobart, Australia.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his party reached the South Pole on January 17th 1912, thirty four days after Amundsen, only to find the South Pole had already been attained. On their return journey Scott and his men all died tragically of starvation and extreme cold.

November 2011

UKAHT is pleased to announce that the Nissen Hut at Port Lockroy, which was re-constructed in March 2010, has been awarded the 2011 North West Regional Structural Award by the Institute of Structural Engineers. The Nissen Hut was reconstructed on the site of the original 1944 Nissen and is in keeping with the historical context of the station. It acts as comfortable living quarters for the seasonal staff that operate Port Lockroy during the Antarctic summer months. 

July 2011

While participating in the excellent Scott100 conference in Plymouth UKAHT took the opportunity to visit one exhibition in Budleigh Salterton that it was able to assist with a grant.  Murray Levick, was a past resident and the Fairlynch Museum which has a special exhibition running until the end of September.  Exhibition conceiver Roger Kingwill has re-created a fantastic scale model (pictured above) of the ice cave in which Levick and his five companions spent seven uncomfortable months during the winter of 1912.

June 2011

The centenary of Captain Scott's Terra Nova expedition (1910-1913) and the death of his Polar Party was celebrated in the event of the year in Plymouth in early June oer Captain's Scott's birthday

May 2011

Each season a new Union flag is flown at Goudier Island.  By March it is a little wind battered and has a distinct penguin aroma.  We recently held a draw for those who had become a Friend of Antarctica during the season.  Adele Bintley of Australia was the lucky winner. Here she is opening the package with her father who is getting ready for his heart surgery.  I am pleased to report that he is recovering well.

March 2011

The reconstructed Nissen hut was officially opened in February during the visit of HMS Scott by Lt Cdr Phil Newell and Dafila Scott who is grand-daughter of Captain Scott.

The opening co-incided with the good news of a grant of £100,000 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to support the Trust's work repairing and maintaining heritage sites in the British Antarctic Territory, as we prepare to mark the many forthcoming centenaries of the heroic age of exploration

February 2011

 Ben Fogle gave a fantastic lecture about his visit to Scott's hut at the Royal Geographical Society on 17th February. His BBC documentary The Secret's of Scott's Hut was shown on BBC2 on April.

January 2011

Congratulations to Gavin Booth and Adam Wilton, who have just been awarded MBEs for their work to raise funds to Save Scott’s Hut. Inspired by news stories of the plight of the fragile hut, Gavin and Adam decided to support the cause and achieve a lifetime ambition, to trek unaided to the Pole in 2009. Their journey was the fastest unsupported journey to the South Pole by a British team.

To find out more about Adam and Gavin's expedition go to their website: www.BritishSouthPole.com