From the archives: the establishment of Blaiklock Island Refuge

02/12/2024

We take a look at diesel mechanic and base leader Percy Guyver's original report from the establishment of Blaiklock Island Refuge nearly seven decades ago.

In 1957, Blaiklock Island Refuge was established by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the precursor to the British Antarctic Survey. Blaiklock Island Refuge was used intermittently from 1957 to 1958 as a refuge and satellite base for survey and geological parties from nearby bases. 

This season, we are prioritising repairs at Blaiklock Island Refuge in one of our most ambitious conservation seasons ever.  

Below, we look at the 1957 establishment of Blaiklock Island Refuge through the annual report written by diesel mechanic and Base Y, Horseshoe Island, leader Percy Guyver. The report has been transcribed from scans from the archive and has been kept as close to the original as possible, so please excuse any typos and grammar errors – Percy was using a keyboard!

The original report (BAS Archives)

ANNUAL REPORT BASE 'Y' & REFUGE HUT 1957

Personnel:

• P Guyver, Diesel Mechanic; Base Leader, Base Y, Horseshoe Island
• J  Fellows, Meteorological Assistant.
• P Gibbs, Assistant Surveyor
• S Imray, Medical Officer
• G Larmour, Meteorological Assistant 
• I  Maloney, Meteorological Assistant 
• N Procter, Geologist
• B Roberts, Wireless Operator
• J Rothera, Assistant Surveyor

On the 9th of February, the new personnel arrived at Horseshoe Island to relieve the base, the staff was completely changed no old members staying on. The compliment was intended to be ten but due to unfortunate circumstances, we were one meteorologist short.

It was decided that the refuge hut supplied this year would be established on the northern coast of Blaiklock Island, the exact position being 67degs 32 mins 40sees South 67degs 12mins 30secs West. On the 8th of March, the refuge was completed, and the two surveyors and geologist were left to work on Blaiklock Island, and the Brind Peninsula if they could find a possible route to the latter. Their mode of travel was to be man-haul, the dog sledges were to join them later in the year when sea ice formed as it was considered impractical to use dogs on the actual island. When possible the refuge had radio schedules with base every three days, the radio used was a 119 set. P Gibbs was left in charge of the party.

At base, the following had agreed to attend to these necessary jobs. S Imray the dogs, L Maloney the pups, G Larmour food minister, and deputy base leader, B Roberts ice observations, and J Fellows intended carrying out sledge friction tests. Imray and myself were to be the drivers of the dog teams, the Admirals and the Churchman respectively. Maloney was to train and drive the pup team, whilst Larmour would act as spare dog driver. 

The team lay the foundations of Blaiklock Island Refuge, 1957 (© Margaret Rothera)

At the beginning of the season, there were 22 dogs and 10 puppies, one team of 9 dogs had been sent to Base ‘J’ on our arrival this left the base very short, for owing to deaths at the height of our sledging season there was only one bitch spare with three teams of nine dogs each in the field.

On March the 27th Imray, Maloney, and I left for Pourquoi Pas Island by boat. The boat was slightly modified, a canvas cover was fitted over the bows and two outboard engines were mounted on the transom, we returned on 5th of April. On April the 15th work was started on the painting of the sitting room, three coats of paint were applied, the job was completed about a week later. Imray and Roberts climbed to the top of Gendarme Peak to enlarge the cairn which had been built by the previous years' chaps on April the 23rd.

The making of traces, harnesses etc was started in earnest on May the 3rd, the dogs were also taken for exercise and training on the island as ice had now formed in inner Homing Bay. Considerable time was spent this month digging out dog spans. Sea ice started to cover Bourgeois Fiord on May the 17th, but blew out again on the 23rd. The construction of a pup kennel was started on the 20th of May but not a great deal of progress was made, for as soon as we began erecting it the temperatures went down to the minuses.

Bodger, a husky dog-team leader (© Margaret Rothera)

The sea ice began to form again in Bourgeois Fjord on June the 4th. On the 6th preparations were started for the journey to the refuge. On the 10th the ice was about 14 inches thick, Larmour, Imray and myself left base on the 11th with two teams. We returned on the 16th with Procter, Bothera, and Gibbs. With us were Erskine, and Madell with their two teams whom had just completed a journey from Base 'W' refuge to our refuge via the Plateau.

They stayed with us over mid-winter. On the 23rd of June Gibbs, Imray, Erskine, and Madell left base on a journey over the Hiem Glacier to establish a triangulation cairn common to both bases. Roberts and Fellows journeyed as with them as far as Base 'Y' refuge,

they were to man-haul and erect cairns in the vicinity of the refuge. The oldest of the pups started their training on the 24th of June. The temperatures this month without being extremely low remained fairly constantly in the minuses with an average of -3.6 degs F.

Procter and myself left base on July the 9th to carry out the winter geological journey, Rothera came with us as far as the refuge. There were then only Larmour and Maloney left on base, soon after we left they had trouble with the generators but managed to get by. The sun was seen from the base for the first time since before mid-winter on the 23rd. Rothera, Fellows, and Roberts returned to base on the 24th having man-hauled 15 miles from the Narrows. On the 26th the newly formed pup team the Spartans were taken for their first run as a team. On the 26th of July the assembly of a new sledge was started and completed within about a week.

Procter and I returned to base on the 3rd of August. Larmour and Rothera left base on the 5th with the pup team consisting of seven dogs, they were to erect cairns in the Laubeuf Fjord area. All sledge spares were dug out of the snow and stored in the balion shed. In a high wind the sledge work-shop window blew out and had to be rehung and glazed.

The ice in Bourgeois Fjord measured 31 inches thick on the 13th. Rothera and Larmour returned to base on the 14th. Maloney and I left for the refuge with 40 gallons of paraffin, using two sledges and two dog teams. Imray and Gibbs returned to base on the 21st. Maloney and I returned on the 23rd of August. Whilst we were all at base the opportunity was taken to dig out and work on the pup pen, the coal bunker was also filled to capacity.

The team construct Blaiklock Island Refuge (© Margaret Rothera)

September 2nd was the date Procter and I left base to start the Laubeur Fjord and Adelaid Island geological journey. Imray, Gibbs, Rothera, and Maloney left base with two teams on the 8th they were to cooperate until they had established a depot on the Hiem Glacier where they split into two parties and worked independently. The 8th was an eventful day as three Argentine chaps turned up from their base on Debenham Islands, also one of the bitches "Nun" had eight pups three of which lived. The Argentines left Base Y on the 9th of September. On the 17th a seal was caught and brought in on a man-haul sledge. On the 22nd an aerial for the bush radio was fitted up. The ice measured 3ft thick in Bourgeois Fjord on the 27th.

High winds had wrecked the food "Caboose" which had to be rebuilt on the 3rd of October. On the 11th of October Procter and I returned to base at mid-night to find the three members which were at base, Roberts, Larmour, and Fellows at grips with "Chloe" a pup, endeavouring to stitch a large gash in her nose, they succeeded. The following day Maloney and Rothera returned to base with Primus stove trouble, they left again on the 15th. The front door had to be rehung as it fell off its hinges. On the 24th it was pretty obvious Base 'W' wireless operator would not get back to base, our operator "Roberts" had to deal with all 'W' traffic until the end of the season. Imray and Gibbs returned to base on the 27th with a faulty radio set. On the 28th three Argentines arrived one of whom was their leader, they stayed till the 31st.

On the 2nd of November Gibbs, Imray and myself left for the refuge with two teams. On the same day in the evening, Rothera and Maloney returned to base. Large melt pools started to form on the sea ice about the 12th. Procter and Larmour left base on the 21st for a geological journey round Pourquoi Pas Island, and the Blind Bay area.

December the 1st Gibbs, Imray and myself returned to base. One of the very young pups “Zola” was badly mauled by a bitch "Liz" who escaped from the pup kennel. The Spartans span was moved out onto the sea ice in inner Homing Bay. On the 4th of December, a trip was made to Lagotellerie Island but proved too late to collect any Penguin eggs. Procter and Larmour Returned to base on the 12th. Everybody mucked in and painted the kitchen on the 22nd. From here on the time was spent doing end-of-season jobs, clearing up, collecting seals etc, and to Base 'E" the preparing of stores to be transferred.

A dingy ferries men to the RRS John Biscoe (© Margaret Rothera)

APPENDIX: The Refuge Hut on Blaiklock Island

The Refuge Hut was established on the 6th March on the western coast of Blaiklock Island. The site was chosen with a view to survey and geological parties working in the Brind Peninsula independent of the vagaries of sea ice in Bourgeois and Bigourdan Fjords which have been experienced during the past two seasons. In this respect, it served its purpose especially well from March until June before sea ice formed in the fjords. Thereafter it was valuable as an advance 'base of operations' for survey and geological parties since most of the work this season has been centred in this area.

The original report's appendix (BAS Archives)

The hut was initially occupied by both surveyors (Rothera and Gibbs) and Procter) (Geologist) • In April they man-hauled across the connecting Jones Channel, up the Heim Glacier and found a route into the Brind Peninsula. They were away for a month. Sea ice started forming in Bigourdan Fjord in May and towards the end of the month it was possible to make a short trip to Pourquoi Pas Island. In the intervening periods between these two trips, the days were spent geologising and surveying on the island on day trips from the hut. On the 8th June Erskine and Madell arrived at the Refuge having sledged from Base W Refuge. It was possible to give their dogs a good feed of meat having anticipated their arrival and laid up a cache of six seals. A week later Guyver, Imray and Larnour arrived from Base and after a congested night in the hut, the whole party with four sledges returned to Horseshoe for mid-winter celebrations.

Blaiklock Island Refuge (© Margaret Rothera)

From June to December the hut was intermittently occupied. Fellows and Roberts spent three weeks in June and July erecting survey cairns in the vicinity. They were joined on 11th July by the geological party, Procter and Guyver, on their way to Laubeur Fjord, and by Rothera. Rothera measured a baseline on the sea ice in Bigourdan Fjord with the assistance of Roberts and Fellows. On 14th July Imray and Gibbs reached the Refuge on their return from the trip to Base 'W'. For a week the confined quarters of the little hut housed seven chaps all trying to dry clothes, cook and warm themselves over primus stoves; and then on the 21st the geological party left followed on the following day by Rothera, Roberts and Fellows who manhauled back to Base. Imray and Gibbs spent a further three weeks getting an astro fix and erecting cairns on a week's trip to Pourquoi Pas. On August 20th Guyver and Maloney sledged up to the Refuge to replenish the paraffin supply with a 40-gallon drum. Three weeks were spent in September by Rothera, Maloney, Imray and Gibbs in an attempt to get a star azimuth. September was a month of warm winds, sleet and thaw temperatures and the great quantity of ice that had accumulated on the ceiling and the walls of the hut as a result of condensation during the cold winter period now melted in incessant drips from the roof and ran down the walls to cover the floor with water. While these conditions lasted the party preferred the comfort of tents and used the hut solely for cooking. From the 1st to 25th October Rothera and Maloney were based at the Refuge working on the observations of the cairns in Bigourdan Fjord. A week later, on November 2nd, Guyver, Imray and Gibbs arrived and spent the whole of November getting a sun azimuth and awaiting a fine day on which to observe from a trig point on Pourquoi Pas. On 26th November Procter and Larmour arrived and spent 4 days before continuing their geological trip into the Narrows and Bourgeois Fjord. In all, the Refuge has been occupied for 184 days this year. It was first lived in on March 8th and finally vacated on 30th November.

John Rothera at Blaiklock Island Refuge (© Margaret Rothera)

The hut has served its purpose very well. It was semi-partitioned and furnished with a table and shelves by carpentering done by Procter. A shallow loft afforded a suitable dormitory. It was very comfortable in March and November, but during

the winter months, heating by primus stoves and the occasional use of the valor heater (which was too expensive on fuel to be used excessively) was not sufficient to raise the temperature inside the hut above freezing point and overcome the problem of constant condensation of steam which gradually coated the walls and ceiling in a layer of ice. In the cold weather, the hut could not be warmed sufficiently without excessive consumption of paraffin and when a brief thaw spell brought a rain of drips which soaked all equipment stored in the hut, one wondered which was the lesser of the two evils.

It was not possible to dry kit inside the hut during the winter and early spring and a pyramid tent was often pitched at the back of the hut for this purpose. In November when the sun had had a chance to dry the place out, the hut was very comfortable to live in; but it was generally agreed that a tent was far more comfortable during the cold weather.

John Rothera at Snowshoe Lodge, AKA Blaiklock Island Refuge (© Margaret Rothera)

In view of all this it is thought that a Refuge, in a region where cold temperatures in the minus twenties may be expected for three months of the year, loses a lot of its point unless it can be more adequately heated and the problem of condensation overcome. Some sort of small coal stove with a simple cooking range is suggested to keep the inside temperature sufficiently high to allow condensation on the walls and ceiling to evaporate, make it possible to dry clothing, and perhaps above all allow one to work up field notes etc in a more comfortable and therefore more efficient atmosphere. A further refinement is suggested in the addition of a small ventilator in the roof which would make it possible to keep the small hatch-door closed in cold and windy periods. While some sort of insulation on the walls and ceiling would be excellent in overcoming the condensation problem, and saving fuel, and keeping the hut warmer generally, it is realized that this is a refinement probably thought to be superfluous to the basic needs of a Refuge Hut. These suggestions sum up the views of all the Base members all of whom have spent some period at the Refuge this season.

To close on a lighter note, the Reuge had many attractions. Ski-ers had splendid slopes rising up behind the hut; the 'met' men could sleep undisturbed by alarm clocks whilst the surveyors seldom had to look beyond the frozen ink bottle for sufficient excuse.

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