British Antarctic Monument Trust
| Abbreviation | BAMT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2008 |
| Type | charity |
| Purpose | Promote the achievements of members of the British Antarctic Survey who have carried out hazardous duties in the pursuit of scientific knowledge within the British Antarctic Territory. |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Chairman | Roderick Rhys Jones |
| Website | www.antarctic-monument.org |
The British Antarctic Monument Trust is a charitable trust[1] set up in 2008 to promote the achievements of men and women of the British Antarctic Survey who have carried out hazardous duties in the pursuit of scientific knowledge within the British Antarctic Territory. The trust also aims to improve the public understanding of how Antarctic exploration and science contributes to our knowledge of Antarctica and the impacts of human activity on the natural environment.
The trust also maintains a complete list of all those who have perished in the British Antarctic Territory since the first permanent British base was set up at Port Lockroy in 1944.
Memorials
[edit]The trust has placed The Antarctic Memorial Tablet in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral. It was dedicated by Canon Treasurer Mark Oakley on 10 May 2011. The tablet has the inscription "For those who lost their lives in Antarctica in pursuit of science to benefit us all". The memorial was designed by Graeme Wilson and the sculptor Fergus Wessel.
In addition to the tablet, the trust created the British Antarctic Monument. Sculpted by Oliver Barratt who created the Everest Memorial), the monument features a sculpture in two parts – the northern part is made of British oak and represents the mould from which the other part, a stainless steel needle, is cast. The northern section is sited outside the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge and the southern in Stanley on the Falkland Islands.
The Northern Sculpture was unveiled on 12 May 2011 by Oliver Barratt and Roderick Rhys Jones (Chairman of the British Antarctic Monument Trust).[2] During the unveiling the Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Professor Julian A. Dowdeswell, welcomed friends and relatives of those who died in the Antarctic.
The Southern Sculpture was unveiled and dedicated by the Bishop of the Falkland Islands on 25 February 2015. The unveiling was a highlight of an Antarctic cruise provided by The Trust for friends, relatives and Antarctic colleagues of those who died. The itinerary included visits to sites where many of the tragedies occurred. A film of the trip entitled South 2015 - A Voyage to Remember was premiered at the Royal Geographical Society Society in London., and is available to download from The Trust’s website.
A Memorial Plinth was unveiled in the Memorial Orchard of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge in September 2024. On the plinth are the names of all those who died on Antarctic service. It is a replica of the plinth below the needle sculpture of the Southern Monument. The British Antarctic Survey cares for the plinth.
The Northern Monument was personally carved by the sculptor Oliver Barratt, and the Southern Monument and Memorial Plinth were cast in the foundry of Pangolin Editions in Gloucestershire.
In 2008 when the British Antarctic Monument Trust was formed 15 of the 29 UK scientific and support staff who had died in the Antarctic had been honoured through a feature in the Antarctic being named for them. The Trust believed that all those who had not been commemorated should be given the same honour. Thorough case-by-case proposals were presented to the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee from March 2013 onwards, and this led to the ambition being realised in October 2021 when all had been honoured. In addition the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee proposed that a site on Lemaire Island should be named Memorial Point, as a reminder of the human price paid for the UK’s commitment to Antarctic research.
Curation of the Monuments
[edit]The Scott Polar Research Institute is responsible for the care of the Northern Monument, and the Falklands Islands Museum and National Trust maintains the Southern Monument. The British Antarctic Monument Trust has funded both organisations for the long-term curation of the monuments.
Eulogy for those who died
[edit]Alan Cheshire (Radio Operator at Rothera in the 1970s) was present on the South 2015 Cruise and at the unveiling of the Memorial Plinth in Cambridge in 2024. He spoke the following eulogy at the close of the cruise, and repeated them before calling a Minute's Silence at the unveiling of the Plinth:
"All FIDs leave a part of themselves in the Antarctic when it’s their time to go home. So in a very real sense, the souls of those who rest here for eternity are never, ever truly alone. They are an integral part of who we are today. And whilst we may grow old and memories fade, they remain for ever young, and forever in our hearts."
Trustees
[edit]The Trust has three current Trustees. Rod Rhys Jones (Chairman) wintered as a surveyor at Halley Bay in 1975/76, Richard Harbour overwintered as a surveyor at Hope Bay between 1959 and 1961, and Julian Paren worked as a summer field glaciologist at Rothera between 1976 and 1990. Brian Dorsett-Bailey, whose brother Jeremy Bailey died in a crevasse accident in 1966, was an original Trustee, and played, until his death, the valuable role of communicating the activities of the Trust to bereaved families.
Ambassadors
[edit]The Trust has four ambassadors well-known in polar circles – Felicity Aston,[3] Paul Rose, John Killingbeck and Dr. Russell Thompson. Each promotes the trust’s work through lectures and acting as guides and interpreters on Antarctic tour ships.
References
[edit]- ^ "Register Home Page". Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Antarctic Monument is unveiled in Cambridge". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
- ^ "Aston Felicity". www.explorapoles.org. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
External links
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| National | |
