SPRI memorial remembers lost Britons

Since 1948, a total of 29 people have died in the British Antarctic Territory, one of the most extreme, inhospitable and uncharted places on Earth.

The memorials (a further one has been placed in the crypt of St Paul’s), have been commissioned by the British Antarctic Monument Trust (BAMT), a British charity set up to celebrate the achievements of the men and women whose scientific exploration of Antarctica has led to a new understanding of our planet.

The BAMT commissioned a monument consisting of two distinct, linked public sculptures separated by 8000 miles but united in purpose. The first sculpture, over three metres high and carved from British oak, was yesterday installed in the gardens at the Scott Polar Research Institute. It was unveiled by the SPRI Director Professor Julian Dowdeswell.

Fundraising continues for the second sculpture, a three-metre high needle of stainless steel, to be erected in Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands and gateway to Antarctica for most British scientists and support staff. Donations can be made at www.antarctic-monument.org.

Roderick Rhys Jones, chairman of the BAMT, who is spearheading the project, said: “I was a surveyor on an expedition from the BAS Research Station Halley Bay in 1965, when three of my colleagues were killed when their tractor fell into a crevasse. I have never forgotten them and wanted to create a lasting monument to them and the others who lost their lives in the pursuit of science in Antarctica. The response has been overwhelming. Families, friends and colleagues of those who died have donated generously.”