List by date

This is a list of those who died in British Antarctic Territory in the pursuit of science since the first permanent British base was set up at Port Lockroy in 1944. The majority were employed by the British Antarctic Survey or its predecessor the Falkland Island Dependencies Survey but the list includes two seaman from HMS Protector who died whilst carrying out a seismic study. Some of those that died have had geographical features named for them others have not. The Trust has submitted place name proposals to the Antarctic Place-names Committee for all those not named with some success. In addition the Committee named Memorial Point at the western end of Lemaire Island, Gerlache Strait to commemorate all those British personnel who died whilst working in Antarctica who have not been commemorated individually.

Memorial point is at 64°48'45”S, 63°01'40”W

A - Z list of deaths.

To find out more about these explorers click on the links below. If you knew them and would like to add any memories or add photographs please contact Trustee Rod Rhys Jones.

1948
Oliver Burd and Michael C Green, 9 November 1948, Hope Bay
Killed in hut fire.
Graves in the vicinity of the original hut.
Commemorative place names: Cape Burd 63° 39' 13” S 57° 07' 46” W, Cape Green 63° 38' 39” S 56° 50' 19” W bothTrinity Peninsula.
Account: Sir Vivian Fuch's account of the accident has been extracted from Of Ice and Men.

Eric Platt, 10 November 1948, Admiralty Bay.
Heart attack.
Grave marked by cross in vicinity of base.
Commemorative place name: Platt Cliffs, King George Island 62° 11' 11” S 58° 35' 45” W.

1953
Arthur H Farrant, 17 November 1953, Deception Island
Took his own life.
Grave in whalers cemetery. Cross was probably washed away or buried by the mud slide caused by the 1969 volcanic eruption.
Commemorative place name: Farrant Point, Deception Island. 63° 0’ 54” S,  60° 40’ 15” W

1956
Ronald G Napier, 24 March 1956, Admiralty Bay
Ronald Napier was drowned when a dinghy overturned. His body was not recovered.
Memorial: there is a cross in vicinity of the base at Admiralty Bay.
Commemorative place name: Napier Rock, King George Island 62° 10' 01” S 58° 26' 23” W

1958
Stanley E Black, David Statham and Geoffrey Stride, about 27 May 1958, Horseshoe Island
Lost when sea ice broke up during depot laying trip to Dion Islands. A memoire has been written about this accident by David McDowell.. Their bodies were not recovered.
Account: Sir Vivian Fuch's account of the accident has been extracted from Ice and Men .
Memorials: a single Cross on Beacon Hill, Horseshoe Island and plaque at Rothera Point.
Commemorative place names on Pourquoi Pas Island:
Black Pass, 67° 40' 00" S 67° 34' 00" W
Statham Peak 67° 41' 10” S 67° 43' 14" W
Stride Peak 67° 35' 34” S 67° 41' 25” W

1959
Alan Sharman, 23 April 1959, Admiralty Bay
Fractured skull following a fall on rocks when out walking.
Memorial: there is a grave marked by cross in vicinity of the base.
Commemorative place name: Sharman Point, King George Island, 58° 30’ 11”S  62° 18’ 00”W

Dennis R Bell, 26 July 1959, Admiralty Bay
Crevasse fall.
Memorial: there is a cross in vicinity of the base. His body was not recovered.
Commemorative place name: Bell Point, King George Island, 62° 06' 41” S 58° 51' 56” W.
Memoire: there is a memoire written by Russell Thompson who was with Alan Sharman at the time of the accident and on base when Dennis Bell was killed.

1961
Roger Filer, 13 February 1961, Signy
Fell from cliff while doing ornithology work.
Grave on Pantomime Point.
Commemorative place name: Filer Haven, Signy Island 60° 43' 40" S  45° 34' 53” W.

1963
Neville S Mann, 15 August 1963, Halley
Lost on sea ice. Neville was part of a two sledge party which became separated in bad weather. His body was not recovered.
Memorial - plaque at Halley Station (body not recovered).
Commemorative place name: Mann Ice Stream, centred at 76° 48’ 55’’S, 30° 14’ 40’’W

Leading Seamen Reg Hodge and Able Seaman Michael Lane 6 December 1963, HMS Protector
Killed whilst prepping a depth charge for seismic research.
Commemorative place names: Hodge Ridge 66° 49' 19'' S 66° 0' 55'' W
Lane Ridge 66° 30’ S, 66° 32’ W
Memoire: There is a memoire by AB Eddie Large - a shipmate on HMS Protector

1965
Jeremy T Bailey, David P Wild and John K Wilson, 12 October 1965, Halley
Occupants of Muskeg tractor lost in crevasse fall en route to Vestfjella.
Memorials: plaques on Survey Point, Vardeklettane, Heimfrontfjella and at Halley Station. Their bodies were not recovered.
Commemorative place names: Bailey Ice Stream 79°S 30°W, and in Dronning Maud Land: Baileyranten 74° 37' 00.0" S 4° 45' 00.0" W, Wildskorvene 74° 36' 00" S 14° 25' 00" W, and Wilsonberga, 74° 35' 00" S 14° 32' 00" W
The nunataks close to the crevasse were renamed by the Norwegian Authorities, Mannefallknausane 74° 37' 00.0" S  14° 45' 00.0" W

There is a extract from memories by Dulcie Bailey written about how she received the news of her son's death.
Account: Sir Vivian Fuch's account of the accident has been extracted from Of Ice and Men.

1966
John F Noel and Thomas J Allan, June 1966, Stonington Island
Died of exposure whilst sitting out a storm in a snow hole during field trip, Butson Ridge area. Their graves are on Flagstaff Hill.
Commemorative place names: Mount Noel 69° 54' 33” S 67° 56' 15” W, Mount Allan, 69° 59' 27” S 67° 45' 54“ W Traverse Mountains on the Rymill Coast.
Account: Sir Vivian Fuch's account of the accident has been extracted from Of Ice and Men.

1976
Geoffrey H Hargreaves, Michael A Walker and Graham J Whitfield, September 1976, Argentine Islands
Lost during return from ascent of Mount Peary. Their bodies were not recovered. There is a memoire by Jim Turton who was on base with them.
Memorial: single cross on Rasmussen Island.
Commemorative place names: Hargreaves Spur 65° 15’ 47”S, 63° 59’ 50”W,
Walker Ridge 65° 16’3 0” S 63° 52’ 35” W, Whitfield Ridge 65° 15’ 23” S 63° 52’ 20” W
Memoire: Brenda Hellier has written a memoire of her brother Geoffrey Hargreaves.

1980
Miles V Mosley, 2 February 1980, Halley
Miles was hit by low flying aircraft. He was buried at sea.
There is a memoire by Jim Turton who was on the aircraft that killed Miles.
Memorial: plaque at Halley Station.
Commemorative Place Names: Mosley Ice Stream, centred at 77 ° 21’ 36’’S. 33° 13’ 43’’W, is an ice stream flowing north-west into the Weddell Sea on the Luitpold Coast. Named in commemoration of Miles Mosley (1946-1980), who worked as a BAS General Assistant (GA) at Stonington Island 1970-1973 and Base Commander at Halley 1977-1980). Mosley died at Halley in 1980 (APC, 2013).

1981
John H M Anderson and Robert Atkinson, 16 May 1981, Rothera
Crevasse accident on Shambles Glacier. Their bodies were not recovered.
Memorial: single cross on Rothera Point.
Commorative place name: Anderson Buttress is about 900 m long on the north eastern side of Gwendolyn Peak, Adelaide Island, to the west of Rose Bluff 67° 23’ 38’’S 68 ° 18’ 05’’W .
Atkinson Ridge is a ridge with exposed rock running north to south on the north side of Mount Mangin, Adelaide Island 67°23’22”S, 68°26’41”W.

1982
John Coll, Ambrose C Morgan, and Kevin P Ockleton, 14 August 1982, Argentine Islands
Lost when sea ice broke up during field trip, Petermann Island area. Their bodies were not recovered
Memorial: there is a single cross on Petermann Island
Commorative Place Names: Coll Glacier 3 km long draining south-south west from Mount Scott to enter Penola Strait east of Duseberg Buttress and east of Petermann Island 65° 10’ 30”S 64° 04’W 3.
Morgan Buttress at the end of the 4 km long ridge running south from Mount Scott, south east of Duseberg Butrress and east of Petermann Island across Penola Strait.65° 11’ S 64° 03’ 23” W.
Ockleton Glacier Glacier 4 km long north of Blanchard Ridge draining south-south west to enter Penola Strait north of Moot Point and east of Petermann Island 65° 11’ 40” S 64° 03’ W.

2003
Kirsty M Brown, 22 July 2003, Rothera
Drowned when attacked by Leopard seal while snorkelling.
Memorial at Rothera Point. Body returned to UK for burial.
Commemorative place name: Kirsty Island, Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island. 67° 35'  50" S 68° 16' 07" W

 

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