Stephen Haddelsey - Operation Tabarin: Britains Secret Wartime Expedition to Antarctica 1944-46

[An] important, solid and well-researched contribution to both the history of Antarctic exploration and the maritime strategic history of that distant region.

Professor Eric Grove in Navy News

This well-crafted narrative history makes fascinating reading, whilst providing an invaluable record of the start of the permanent British presence in Antarctica a valuable and timely addition to the history of Antarctica.

Polar Record

Haddelsey brings the little known story of Operation Tabarin to life with his usual blend of narrative drive and thorough attention to detail. Based on extensive research, this volume is a valuable addition to our understanding of Britains involvement in the Antarctic during this critical period.

Heather Lane, Scott Polar Research Institute

A perspicuous and absorbing history of events from Operation Tabarin to the British Antarctic Survey.

Gordon Howkins MBE, Meteorologist, Operation Tabarin

A timely and very welcome account of an expedition that is vital to our understanding of British Antarctic exploration and the legacy of historic sites such as Port Lockroy.

Rachel Morgan, Director of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

Having been one of the crew of HMS William Scoresby during Operation Tabarin I have had great pleasure reading this book and remembering the exploits at the bases at Port Lockroy, Hope Bay and Deception Island. Mr Haddelsey deserves praise for bringing it all back so vividly.

George James, Wireless Officer, HMS William Scoresby , Operation Tabarin, 194446

A well-written book about a little-known but important expedition very nostalgic.

Ian Graham, Lieutenant RNVR, HMS William Scoresby , Operation Tabarin, 194446

What is the reason for sending an expedition of perfectly good fighting men to the South Pole?

Winston Churchill, 24 April 1944

For Ken Blaiklock

Explorer and friend

Many of the diaries and letters quoted in this book were written in circumstances of extreme stress and in a hurry; inevitably, this resulted in an array of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. For ease of reading, spelling has been corrected and punctuation adjusted where absolutely necessary. Any words inserted by the author for clarity of meaning are identified by the addition of square brackets. It should also be noted that, as a Canadian, Andrew Taylor used American spelling. For consistency and to avoid distraction, all spelling has been anglicised.

All temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit and other measures in imperial, as these were the most commonly used during the expedition.

Hitherto, Operation Tabarin has received remarkably little attention from writers focusing on the United Kingdoms long and distinguished role in the exploration of the Antarctic continent and yet this expedition, launched in secret and at the height of the Second World War, would ultimately evolve into the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), one of the most important and most enduring government-sponsored bodies undertaking investigation and research in the region. The expedition also plays a vital part in any attempt to understand and chronicle the UKs territorial claims in the Antarctic and the resulting conflicts with other powers, most notably Argentina. In addition, while the United States and Germany both launched Antarctic expeditions in the years immediately preceding the outbreak of hostilities, the UK would be the only combatant nation to send an expedition during the war itself. This was not coincidental; indeed, the war actually presented the UK authorities with a golden opportunity to reassert claims that had been allowed, through a combination of apathy, timorousness and commercial self-interest, to fall into abeyance.

To tell the story of Operation Tabarin I have relied, to an enormous degree, upon the help and support of a number of individuals. I should like, therefore, to offer my sincere thanks to the following: Ian Graham, Gordon Howkins and George James, the last surviving veterans of Operation Tabarin, for their willingness to share their memories and for proofreading the manuscript. This book is intended to be a tribute to them and to their fellows, and I am extremely grateful to them for ensuring its historical accuracy. Thanks also to Robert Back, son of Dr Eric Back, for permission to quote from his fathers papers, now held at the British Antarctic Survey; Gerry Farrington, for making available to me the letters and photographs of his father, Fram Farrington; Justin Marshall, son of Freddy Marshall, for very kindly copying photographs and letters in his possession, and for allowing their use; Martin Lockley, son of Jock Lockley; Sheila Bates and Madeline Russell, daughters of Victor Russell, for permitting use of their fathers letters and photographs; Janet Marr, daughter of James Marr; Margaret Cameron, daughter of Jock Matheson; Keith Holmes, for his notes on the naming of the operation; Iain MacLennan, for sharing his research into the life of Jock Matheson; Angela Heck, for facilitating access to the memoirs of Andrew Taylor; Rachel Morgan, Director of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, which now manages the Port Lockroy site; Andy Stevenson, for mapping the expedition in so dynamic a fashion; and Ken Blaiklock, for his enthusiastic encouragement, for reading and correcting the manuscript, and for sharing his intimate knowledge of the region, gleaned during his service with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in the years immediately following Operation Tabarin.

In common with my other books, the bulk of this narrative is based very closely upon contemporary sources, including official documents and the letters, diaries and other writings of the participants. However, I should also like to make specific mention of one modern source that was of considerable help to me when describing the diplomatic and departmental wrangling which ultimately gave rise to the operation, and which is described in chapter 1 of this work. The source in question is an article by John Dudeney and David Walton, From Scotia to Operation Tabarin: Developing British Policy for Antarctica, published in the Polar Record . I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the geo-political background to the expedition. Of the contemporary sources, the vast majority are now held in the archives of the British Antarctic Survey and I should like to thank Ellen Bazeley-White and Joanna Rae for their invaluable assistance in locating and copying these papers. Other papers are held in the National Archives at Kew, at the University of Manitoba and the Scott Polar Research Institute, and I would like also to express my gratitude to these bodies.

Most particularly, I should like to acknowledge the generosity and expertise of Alan Carroll who, in the earliest stages of this project and on the basis of only a very slight acquaintance agreed to share with me all the details of his research into the operation, thereby obviating the need for a sizeable portion of the investigative work usually required for a book of this nature. Alans enthusiasm, his first-hand knowledge of Port Lockroy (where he served as base leader from 1954 to 1957), and his comprehensive list of contacts did a great deal to convince me of the viability of the project. Alans writings on the early occupation of Base A were also particularly helpful to me when I was shaping the chapters on Port Lockroy as was his willingness to pursue additional lines of inquiry to help complete the picture. Without Alans generous assistance, this book would have been much longer in the writing and its final form would almost certainly have been very different. I should also like to thank Jane Carroll, for making me so welcome when I visited their home and for her comments on the manuscript.