Mawson Douglas - Mawsons Antarctic Diaries

MAWSONS

ANTARCTIC DIARIES

Sir Douglas Mawson, taken from the scientific group on board the Discover, BANZARE 192931.

First published in 1988

This impression published in 2008

Copyright South Australian Museum 2001

Source material Estate of Sir Douglas Mawson 190731

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Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 18821958.

Mawson s Antarctic diaries I editors, Fred Jacka, Eleanor Jacka.

Bibliography.

Includes index.

ISBN 978 1 74175 609 8 (pbk)

ISBN 978 1 74343 814 5 (ebook)

Mawson, Douglas, Sir, 18821958Diaries.

British Antarctic Expedition, (19071909)

Australasian Antarctic Expedition, (19111914)

British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research

Expedition, (19291931)

AntarcticaDiscovery and explorationAustralian.

919.8904

Set in California by Midland Typesetters, Maryborough, Australia

COLOUR (HAND-TINTED) PHOTOGRAPHS

Between

Ninnis and dogsIn the blizzardSea elephant in attitude of defenceBlizzard, the pupNinnis Glacier tonguePanorama of life of Great Mackellar IsleBanded face of Shackleton Ice Shelf.

Between

Atlas Cove, Heard IslandThree cheers for the King, Proclamation IslandMawson and Campbell in the planeUnidentified icebergPosters.

BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS

Between

Douglas Mawson in 1911Lady MawsonSir T.W. Edgeworth DavidMawson with daughters Jessica and PatriciaJerbiiCaptain J.K. Davis, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Mawson in LondonCamp 7000 ft up Mt ErebusPonies in AntarcticaBAE Winter QuartersEnd of a blizzardCliff of the Nordenskjold Ice BarrierFirst to reach South Magnetic PoleGramophone concertMackay taking a bathMaking sledge harnessMawson returning to Adelaide, 1909Nimrod collecting South Magnetic Pole party.

Between

In the workshopsBage and his tide gaugeMertz exploring weathered crevassesShovelling snow from Aurora, 1913Aurora near Mertz Glacier TongueLanding equipment at AAE Main BaseTemporary Camp, Cape DenisonMain Base hutIn the catacombsHurley, the barberFrank Hurley at Commonwealth BayPancake ice.

Between

Webb in interior of Magnetograph HouseSnow drift gauge at Cape DenisonHurley sewing food containersSastrugi-furrowed nv slope at Main BaseAAE sledging rationsMertz emerging from Aladdins CaveWestern Base Hut in mid-winter, 1912Bage and Hurley in Aladdins CavePreparing for sledgingEn route to Aladdins CaveCamp in light drifting snow.

Heavily crevassed coastal ice Aurora leaving AAE Western Base, 1912Depot 67 miles from Cape DenisonMawsons half sledgeSpring sledging camp on the plateau, 1912Wireless Station, Macquarie IslandMacquarie Telephone ExchangeMawson rests at side of sledgeHamilton hand-netting planktonDog team at restBickerton in air tractorMembers of AAE Main Base Party who wintered a second year at Commonwealth Bay.

Between

Departure of Aurora from HobartMawson at Cape HunterCorrell fishingMawsons, Madigans and Stillwells parties camped 18 miles south east of Aladdins Cave, 1912Weddell sealsSummit of Proclamation IslandOn board Discovery are Major R.G. Casey, Captain J.K. Davis, H.R. Mill and Rev. J.G. Hayes Discovery at Port Jeanne dArcApproaching Proclamation Island, January 1930Sorting specimens in wardroomMawson in his cabin on Discovery.

Between

Measuring a wandering albatross on DiscoveryGypsy Moth sea planeParty at Shag Rookery, Kerguelen IslandSimmers releasing meteorological balloonDiscovery in mid-AtlanticInterior of AAE Main Base hut, 1931Hurley, Marr and Johnston on DiscoverySimmers operating photometerMawson with members of Soviet Antarctic Expedition, 1956Sorting a catch on DiscoveryMawson Base, 1984Dr Phillip Law, Sir Douglas Mawson, General Riiser-Larsen and Captain J.K. Davis, 1956.

Maps

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Floorplan of hut

Handwritten diaries and notations

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Menus, rosters, sledging lists, opera programme, poems and cartoon

.

The Antarctic diaries of Sir Douglas Mawson are a heterogeneous collection of notebooks and papers, written under circumstances that would have deterred most people from writing anything, and probably not intended for others to read. However, Mawson did preserve them. We have taken the liberty of assuming that he would not have objected to our reading them and making them public now that he and (we believe) all his companions have died.

Mawson set high standards for himself; sometimes his companions did not perform at his level, but their reputations do not suffer as a consequence of his judgments.

Mawsons diaries are held at the Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research which is the custodian of his personal papers and a major collection of photographic works and a modest collection of artifacts derived from his Antarctic expeditions. Mawsons papers have been sorted and a guide to them (by Margaret Innes) published.

The Mawson Institute was established in the University of Adelaide in 1959 as a centre for Antarctic studies and to provide opportunities for postgraduate research. The first project undertaken was Sir A. Grenfell Prices work on the narrative of the BANZARE voyages and the publication of his The Winning of the Australian Antarctic (1962). Subsequently the Institute has been primarily concerned with research in the fields of terrestrial biology and atmospheric physics.

Publication of Mawsons Antarctic diaries has, for many years, been regarded as an important objective. Our work has been assisted by a number of willing supporters. Edna Sawyer, formerly secretary of the Mawson Institute, devoted her spare time over several years to deciphering the originals and converting them to some 700 pages of typescript; she deserves the biggest share of credit. In the early stages we were assisted in checking the manuscript by Trevor Gadd and Susan Woodburn. Robin Oliver, Maud McBriar and Jane Francis checked the geological terms and Patricia Thomas checked the biological terms. Susan Griffiths assisted with editorial work on our introductory material. Pene Greet helped in preparing the appendices and Tamara Jacka assisted with checking the proofs. Heather Duff typed the introductory material, appendices etc and assisted in locating the references and illustrations and in many other tasks. For any misreadings, misrepresentations or other deficiencies, we accept full responsibility.