ABC Newcastle (Newcastle)
Day Shift – 15/05/2007 – 02:10 PM
Presenter: Carol Duncan
Newcastle University Archivist Gionni Di Gravio describes and discusses the photographs of the Australian, New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition in 1929-31 donated to the University. Talks about who took the pictures saying some of them are annotated. Comments on the significance of the BANZARE voyage in relation to the territorial claim to Antarctica by Australia. Comments on the significance of history.
Interviewees: Gionni Di Gravio, Archivist, Newcastle University
Duration: 14:49
Broadcast Notes:
We were fortunate to have had a set of Antarctic images donated to us as part of a larger collection of archives from Mr Jim Downie of Mayfield.
These images were given to Jim Downie’s father, Alexander Downie, by a member of the British Antarctic Expedition but he was unsure of the individual. Alexander Downie travelled out to Australia around 1904 with members of the Shackleton’s expedition. He remained in contact with many of the members. In 1907 the British Antarctic Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton reached the South Magnetic Pole in King George V land.
Sir Douglas Mawson (1882 -1958) returned to Antarctica in 1911-1914 with the Australian Antarctic Expedition with the objective of further exploration and mapping.
Mawson again returned to the Antarctic in 1929-1931 with the assistance of the Australian National Research Council and Australian Government that allowed him to organise the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (B.A.N.Z.A.R.E.). (Ref: The Winning of Australian Antarctica by A Grenfell Price. Sydney, 1962:v)
It was only after examining the written captions on the back of the images that we realised that the images were taken on the second BANZARE voyage from 1930-1931. But unfortunately the mystery photographer and writer only ever referred to himself as ’self’ and never by his real name.
“Self”
There were, however, clues to his identity. He bore some resemblance to J.W.S. Marr, Zoologist on the expedition. However once we had located a specimen of Marr’s handwriting it did not appear to match the annotations on the back of the photographs. Our next possible candidate was Dr Alf Howard, as one of the photographs along with the BANZARE images was of a woman marked “Sister. Miss Nell. Howard”. The photographs of ’self’ did not look anything like Dr Howard.
I contacted Dr Anna Bemrose, a close associate of Dr Howard’s and a scholar at the University of Queensland who has organised exhibitions on Dr Howard’s work. She said that Dr Howard did not have a sister. After ruling out members of the scientific team, she suggested that the possible candidate was a member of the crew. Once a check of the crew was made she turned up a ‘W. Howard’ who was aboard the Discovery. It was in all probability the real identity of ’self’ and his photographs that became an unofficial record of this particular voyage from a crew member’s perspective. We sincerely thank Dr Bemrose for helping us in identifying this individual.
How they came to be deposited in Mayfield was another mystery. After the radio show Mr Downie rang to suggest a possible explanation. Mr Alexander Downie was a native of Coatbridge, Scotland. He said that Scottish people kept in contact when ever they travelled abroad, and that perhaps W. Howard was also a native of this town and that he deposited the photographs on one of these visits to Newcastle.
So if there are any relatives of W. Howard, a possible native of Coatbridge Scotland, who was a crew member on the Discovery on the second B.A.N.Z.A.R.E. voyage 1930-1931, we would like to hear from them.
With regards to the images listed below I have endeavoured to list them as best as possible. I welcome any suggestions or comments relating to the order of the images. I have used as my reference two diary accounts of the Voyage by Mawson:
Mawson, Douglas. “The B.A.N.Z. Antarctic Research Expedition, 1929-1931″ in The Geographical Journal, Vol. 80, No.2 (Aug, 1932), pp.101-126.
British, Australian, and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition, (1929-1931)
The winning of Australian Antarctica; Mawson’s B.A.N.Z.A.R.E. voyages, 1929-31, based on the Mawson papers. By A. Grenfell Price. Published for the Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research, University of Adelaide. [Sydney] Angus and Robertson [1962]
Annotations on the reverse sides of some of the photographs in the hand of ’self’ are in inverted commas.
Gionni Di Gravio
University of Newcastle
____________________________
BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION (B.A.N.Z.A.R.E.) 2ND VOYAGE 22 NOVEMBER 1930 – 19 MARCH 1931
(Donated by Mr Jim Downie, Mayfield)
Short Description:
A6590(iv) Photographs of Second B.A.N.Z.A.R.E. Voyage to Antarctica 22nd November 1930 to 19th March 1931, taken by W. Howard, crew member of the Discovery.
Full Description:
A6590 (iv) Box of original photographs belonging to W. Howard, crew member of the Discovery including those taken of Mawson’s Second B.A.N.Z.A.R.E. Voyage from Hobart, 22nd November 1930 to Hobart, 19th March 1931. Others include images taken at a variety of locations such as Panama Canal, Boat Harbour New Zealand, Wellington (2nd July 1931), island of Curacao West Indies, Brazil and Monte Video South America, Mr W.F. Porteus “Lost at sea Falkland Islands. South America 1931.” Cape Raoul, Storm Bay, Derwent River Tasmania, Freemantle and Geralton Western Australia, Wentworth Prison Victoria, Lucinda Point and Cairns N(orth)Q(ueensland), London, Scotland, and “Sister Miss Nell Howard”.
22nd November 1930
Voyage began from departure port Hobart. (Mawson 1932)
30th November 1930
[IMAGE 001] “First Iceberg sighted on the trip 900’ South of Hobart, Tasmania”
1st December 1930 – Thursday 4th December 1930
Arrived at Macquarie Island and landing 2nd December 1930.
[IMAGE 002] “Sir D. Mawson and party landing Macquarie Island en route to the Antarctic”
[IMAGE 003] “Penguins on Macquarie Island. This Island is a good breeding ground for animals and bird life as it is situated outside The Antarctic”
[IMAGE004] “W.F. Porteus with two young penguins Macquarie Island”
[IMAGE 005] “Seals on the beach Macquarie Island”
[IMAGE 006] “Dead Sea Elephant and Skua Gulls Macquarie Island” (Ingram and Fletcher?)
5th December 1930
Depart Macquarie Island
10th December 1930
Loose pack ice was met in 62 degrees (Mawson, 1932)
15th December 1930
[IMAGE 007] Sir James Clark Ross was sighted and soon moored to obtain coal. “Sir J. Clarke Ross 22,000 tons Factory Whaling ship Antarctic O 65°Lat. South.”
20th December 1930?
Pleasant day, free of pack ice, large number of bergs seen, much worn and usually of striking appearance, sharp pinnacles of ice.. (Mawson, 1932)
[IMAGE 008] “End of a tabular ice-berg. These Bergs rarely exceed 200 feet in height but extend sometimes to a length of 4 or 5 miles.”
[IMAGE 009] “1,500 feet of ice and length Approx. 5 miles”
[IMAGE 010] No caption
[IMAGE 011] No caption
[IMAGE 012] “Rigging showing signs of ice crystals Dec. 1930”
28th December 1930?
[IMAGE 013] “Self taken on board R.R.S “Discovery” at Adeli (sic) Land Dec 28th 1931.”
29th December 1930
[IMAGE 014] “Factory ship “Kosmos” 22,000 tons Whale chaser No.3 can be seen alongside. Each factory ship has a fleet of these small chasers which are powerfull (sic) craft of 18 knots.”
[IMAGE 015] “ ‘Discovery’ berthed alongside whaler ‘Kosmos’ bunkering coal”
[IMAGE 016] “Cutting up whales on the S.S. ‘Kosmos’”
[IMAGE 017] “Passing an ice berg in a heavy swell after a three day blizzard.”
5th January 1931
King George V Land and Terre Adelie
[IMAGE 018] “The claiming of Adeli (sic) Land for the British 1931”
[IMAGE 019] “Adeli (sic) Land 2 Members of the Mawson Expedition Passed out on the way back from the South Magnetic Pole Feb 1913”
[IMAGE 020] “Penguins on Adeli (sic) Land Left. 2nd officer Colbeck & one of the crew.”
[IMAGE 021] “Adeli (sic) Land Penguins”
13th January 1931 (approaching Proclamation Island)?
[IMAGE 022] “Cpt. Hurley official photographer taking a scene for the screen version “Siege of the South. (sic) “
[IMAGE 023] “Brush Ice”
[IMAGE 024] “Brush ice – small pieces of various weights from 7 or 8 lbs to 3 or 4 tons.”
February 1931
[IMAGE 025] “Self Galley skylight Feb. 1931.”
1st February 1931?
[IMAGE 026] “Our first view of the pack ice”
[IMAGE 027] “Pack ice edge encountered at sea. This pack ice in sections sometimes measuring 10 sq mils drifts with the wind tides or influence of the sea.”
[IMAGE 028] “Navigating through the pack ice Queen Mary Land.”
6th February 1931
[IMAGE 029] “S.S. Falk and Durban 2 Whalers from South Africa.”
[IMAGE 030] “S.S. Falk and Durban 2 Whales are tethered ready for picking up.”
9th February 1931
Princess Elizabeth Land sighted from plane (Mawson 1932)
11th February 1931?
[IMAGE 031] “Changing look-outs 10pm Look-out is kept 175 feet aloft on the main mast.”
[IMAGE 032] “Pancake ice – flat surface and depth of ice rarely exceeds 3 feet under water.”
[IMAGE 033] Pancake Ice No Caption
[IMAGE 034] Pancake ice No caption
[IMAGE 035] “Pack ice as seen through the fore rigging.”
[IMAGE 036] “Floes of pancake ice off Princess Elizabeth Land”
[IMAGE 037] “Bad weather approaching off Princess Elizabeth Land.”
[IMAGE 038] “Ice Berg drifting north showing effect of wind and weather on its surface. This berg before breaking away from the Ant Circle was square or oblong in shape and owes its design to the wearing of the wind and waves on its surface.”
Sometime between 11th – 18th February 1931? (Annotated as March 1931?)
[IMAGE 039] “Stuck in the pack ice.”
[IMAGE 040] “Stuck in the pack ice for a period of 3 weeks March 1931. A break of warm weather cleared us”
[IMAGE 041] “Obtaining fresh water while stuck in the pack ice during our trip. Surface ice or really snow is scooped up placed in the tanks above the engine room & melted down ice floes & pack ice are usually salt and only the recent falls on top of snow can be used.”
[IMAGE 042] “Visitors during our stay in the pack ice. Penguins on the ice pack.”
12th February 1931?
[IMAGE 043] “Heavy Pack-ice encountered along the coast-line. This is rugged with many sharp projections and a great danger when near the ship in bad weather. Our usual speed through this ice was approx 1 to 2 mls per hour.”
[IMAGE 044] “Heavy Pack ice.”
[IMAGE 045] “Ice Berg breaking up”
[IMAGE 046] “Ice Berg & pack ice”
[IMAGE 047] Pack ice No caption
[IMAGE 048] “Type of ice-berg found around Lat 67° South. On an average these Bergs show 1/6th above water.”
[IMAGE 049] “End of an ice berg Note resemblance to human face.”
[IMAGE 050] “Ice Bergs among the pack ice.”
13th February 1931?
[IMAGE 051] “Section of the coast line McRobertson land, named as a tribute to one of our backers.”
[IMAGE 052] “Another section of McRobertson Land No vegetation or soil Land formation Rock & Ice.”
28th February 1931
[IMAGE 053] “Coastline of Princess Elizabeth Land Survey & Charter by “Discovery” Feb 28th 1931.”
