The Polar Postal History Society
Part 1 | Part 2
The
Polar Postal History Society Of Great Britain 2002
President
Harry E. J. Evans, 12 Longlands Spinney, Charmandean, Worthing, W. Sussex
BN14 9NU
Chairman
Gerry Pearce, Verona, Bullbeggars Lane, Horsell, Woking, Surrey GU21 4SH
Secretary
Gerald Marriner, stampgerald@aol.com
Treasurer
Martin B. Evans F.R.P.S,L., 75 Fox Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 8NB
Editor of Polar Post
John H. Youle, Kellerstraße 16, D-81667, Munich, Germany
Membership Secretary
Robert F. McMillan, 46 New Village Road, Cottingham, E.Yorkshire HU16 4NA
Exchange Packet Superintendent
John D. Spicer, 18 Leycroft Way, Harpenden, Herts AL5 1JW
Auction Manager
Judith Faulkner, 473 Godstone Road, Whyteleafe, Surrey. CR3 0BL
Librarian:
NN
Committee members
Frank G. Mitchell, 2 Egliston Mews, Putney, London SW15 lAP
Sonia Sondhelm, 11 Haig Court, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0BH
Margery Wharton, 18 Millfield Rise, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN40 1QY
Hon Auditor
Robert H. Hurst, 3 Bletchingley Road, Merstham, Surrey. RH1 3DL
Distributor of Polar Post
Herbert Lealman MBE, Huttons Ambo, York YO60 7HF
Introduction
Gerry Pearce, Chairman of the PPHSGB
The Polar Postal History Society of Great Britain is honoured to have been asked to exhibit at the Royal Philatelic Society and this display has been assembled to demonstrate the breadth of collecting interests within the scope of Polar postal history.
Having celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2002 it is worth noting the original aims of the Society, as stated in 1952 and still holding true today. - "The aims of the Society are to promote the general study of the Postal History of the Polar and Sub-Polar regions and to act as a medium whereby collectors of this material may correspond, exchange and acquire items for their collections and to obtain information about these areas."
A single display cannot cover every aspect of this subject but we seek to show the diversity of the Polar subject. As a specialist society, we are faced with two separate territories of the world, as far apart as possible but connected by the common feature of remote coldness. From this springs the collecting interest of mail from expeditions and the brave explorers of the late 19th and early 20th Century "Classic Era". Stories of early Arctic and Antarctic exploration are told through the medium of covers and correspondence. Thoughts often centre on Scott and Shackleton but chronologically we move on through the 20th Century with expeditions mounted by Great Britain, America, France, Sweden, Norway, Germany and other nations, all seeking knowledge, geographical claims and possible riches from the unknown lands.
Surveying, mapping and the pursuit of scientific knowledge resulted in the proliferation of Polar bases for the International Geophysical Year, the Trans-Antarctic Expedition and much work within the Falkland Islands Dependencies. Whaling brought its own requirements for commercial mail from the men involved. Although not strictly Sub-Polar, Tristan Da Cunha and its fascinating history, have been welcome subject areas within the Society.
Thematic collecting interests are amply catered for within the Polar Regions. A sample of thematic collections demonstrates that the historian, naturalist and political historian can find plenty to satisfy him or her with territories, animals, birds, fish, ships, explorers and many more subjects to choose from.
The postal history of the polar regions is a dynamic subject and material dating to modern times is displayed along with the very popular subject of postcards, old and new. The geographical and time spans involved in Polar Postal History make this a fascinating range of collecting subjects, reflected in this Royal display.
19th Century Arctic Exploration - Peter Wordie
After
the initial 16th century efforts to find the North West Passage, Arctic
exploration had become the preserve of whalers and sealers who, for commercial
reasons, kept their discoveries secret. This all changed with the end of
the Napoleonic War and the mass naval unemployment which followed.
Under the direction of Barrow, the Navy became deeply involved in trying to discover the North West Passage. Captain Parry was the first to go up in a series of voyages, 1819-27, the last two being supported by Franklin's land exploration. The culmination of this search came with Franklin's expedition of 1845 when all 126 men perished. The search for Franklin resulted in at least 20 search expeditions, employing in all 56 ships. Also as nobody knew where he was, new methods of trying to make contact were employed.
On finding the grim truth the Navy turned its attention to trying to get to the North Pole and this was the objective of Admiral Nares' expedition of 1875/76.
Whaling and sealing continued but postal history from these commercial enterprises are scarce and the 1867 letter from Jan Mayen island is a rare example.
As the Navy withdrew from Arctic exploration, the adventurous and wealthy took over with attempts to reach the pole by balloon or submarine. Others went north just for the fun and adventure. The Jackson/Harmsworth expedition of 1896 was one of these. They went north to Franz Joseph Land and by a strange coincidence rescued Nansen from the ice, who was brought back to Norway by their yacht, Windward.
Finally by the end of the 19th century, Spitzbergen had become a tourist resort with two hotels being built.
The Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration - H. E. J. Evans
Following an International Geophysical Congress in 1895 in London it was resolved that the exploration of Antarctica was the greatest piece of Geophysical Research still to be undertaken and it was urged that this be commenced before the end of the Century. As a result the International exploration of the Continent began.
The main objects of the expeditions was scientific research coupled with the race to be first to reach the South Pole and to claim segments of the continent for their country. During the next 40 years, expeditions from many countries, both large and small, were mounted with the South Pole being reached by Amundsen on 14th December 1911 followed by Scott on 18th January 1912.
The display covers the heroic Age with covers from most of the expeditions
between 1897 and 1922. Some were written or signed by expedition leaders
including Amundsen, Bruce, Charcot, Filchner, Mawson, Scott, Shackleton
and Wilkins.
Post offices were opened at some bases with special stamps, the object
being to help substantiate possible future territorial claims. A number
of these stamps are included in the display.
The illustrated cover, addressed by Captain Scott to Sir Clement Markham, was written prior to Scott's departure for the South Pole.
The Swedish South Polar Expedition 1901 to 1903 - Stefan Heijtz
The
Swedish South Polar Expedition was part of an international programme for
increasing the knowledge of Antarctica. The purpose of the expedition was
to build a winter station on the east coast of Graham Land, to explore
this part of Antarctica, and to make meteorological and magnetic observations.
In the mean time the expedition ship Antarctic and the scientists not staying at the winter station, would go to South Georgia to explore the island. The Expedition left Sweden in the autumn of 1901 and planned to return in the summer 1903.
Due to severe ice conditions, it was not possible to relieve the wintering party on Snow Hill Island after the first winter. When trying to reach the winter station, the expedition ship was caught in the pack ice and finally lost after a struggle lasting for several weeks. So all the scientists and crew had to stay in the region for another winter, partially under very primitive circumstances.
When nothing had been heard of from the expedition in 1903, two relief expeditions were sent out, one from Sweden, the Frithiof, and one from Argentina, the Uruguay. The Argentine relief expedition was successful and rescued the expedition members in November 1903.
The display shows examples of mail to and from expedition members and from the relief expeditions, including the cachets used. Illustrated is a 1902 Expedition cover sent by Otto Nordenskjöld to his mother. It was written on Snow Hill Island and posted in the Falkland Islands.
The 1901 to 1904 British National Antarctic Expedition - Paul Wales
This
exhibit is a small part of a major postal history collection based on Robert
Falcon Scott's first expedition to the Antarctic between 1901 and 1904.
The collection includes many rare personal covers and postcards sent to and from members of the expedition and previously unrecorded correspondence from Cyril Longhurst, Secretary of the National Antarctic Expedition, to Captain Scott's mother (Mrs Hannah Scott) regarding the expedition's progress.
Illustrated here is a cover sent by the expedition physicist Louis Bernacci to his girlfriend. The cover has been redirected and attracted postage due. A USA 3 cent Postage Due stamp has been added to the back to cover the additional rate to the USA destination.
Captain Scott's Last Antarctic Expedition - Triumph and Tragedy
Trevor Cornford
Scott
was drawn back to the Antarctic, whatever his motives, after the success
of the "Discovery" voyage under his command. Perhaps because in 1909 Shackleton
returned with huge acclaim, almost taking the South Pole prize.
Thus what became his "Last Expedition" produced a plethora of material for collectors of many aspects of Explorers' activities - this display tells the story from the Postal History perspective, rounded out a little with letters, photographs and Postcards to bring our participants more to life!
Preparations began in 1909, they set out in 1910, and returned in 1913. In between, we had 1d and then 1/2d New Zealand stamps overprinted "Victoria Land" as pioneered by Shackleton with "King Edward VII Land" overprints, 3 Mails returned via the ship, Terra Nova , with registered, genuine and Official souvenir covers. Some stamp varieties exist also.
Britain wanted to claim this Pole for King and Empire, but instead got a massive amount of scientific data, and a tragic loss turned into heroic endeavour. A prelude to darker days on the horizon.
This is a snapshot of those times, but what a story !
Roald Amundsen - Expedition Mail - Fred Goldberg
Roald
Amundsen, born in 1872 in Norway, was one of the most determined Polar
explorers of the heroic age. In 1898-99 he was third mate on the Belgica
expedition to Antarctica.
In 1906 he was the first to sail through the Northwest Passage with his sloop Gjöa. It took him three years and during this time he learned from the Inuits how to travel and survive in Polar areas.
On the 14th of December 1911 he was the first to reach the South Pole.
In 1918 he had a new ship built named Maud. With this ship he tried for 7 years to duplicate Nansen's drift across the Arctic Ocean but the ship did not get into the right drifting currents.
Amundsen was one of the first to explore the possibilities to reach the North Pole with aeroplanes. In 1925 he almost succeeded using 2 flying boats (Dornier-Wal) starting from Svalbard.
In 1926 a new attempt was made using an Italian airship named Norge. It reached the North Pole on the 12th of May 1926 before it landed in Teller, Alaska. This was the first time human beings undisputedly reached the geographical North Pole.
In 1928 Amundsen disappeared with a French flying boat when trying to rescue members of the airship Italia which had crashed in the Arctic.
This collection contains covers, letters and postcards from all of Amundsen's expeditions. The cover shown above is the only expedition mail known being sent from the Antarctic continent and is addressed to Amundsen's brother Gustav.
The Imperial Transantarctic Expedition 1914 to 1916 - Peter Wordie
The
crossing of the Antarctic continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea
was seen by Shackleton as the last great challenge of Antarctic exploration.
The original idea for this came from Bruce who, in 1909 at a meeting of
the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, proposed this project. At that
time Shackleton was secretary of the RSGS. Bruce failed to raise the support
and finance to do it but Shackleton was more successful and the Endurance
left South Georgia for the Weddell Sea with the main party, whilst the
Aurora sailed for the Ross Sea with another party whose main object was
to lay food depots for the Weddell Sea party.
After leaving South Georgia on 5 December 1914, the following are the main features of the expedition:
Mid January 1915 |
Endurance beset by ice. Drifted 9 months, covering 1200 miles. |
Mid October 1915 |
crushed and sunk by ice. Expedition camped and drifted on ice for 5 1/2 months and covered a further 600 miles, ending with a 6 day row in the open boats to Elephant Island. |
15 April 1916 |
expedition arrived Elephant Island. |
24 April 1916 |
James Caird left Elephant Island for South Georgia. |
30 August 1916 |
Yelco rescued Elephant Island party. |
Shackleton was left with the problem of rescuing the Ross Sea party. He travelled to New Zealand where he was successful in extricating them. He also managed to sell their vessel, the Aurora, on 7 March 1917 whilst in New Zealand. He wrote the story of the expedition, "South", which was ghosted by Saunders who had also ghosted, "The Heart of the Antarctic".
The Admiral Byrd Antarctic Expeditions 1928 to 1941 - H. E. J. Evans
Richard Evelyn Byrd mounted three expeditions to the Antarctic between 1928 and 1941 with a base established on the Ross Ice Shelf named "Little America".
The 1st Expedition took place between 1928 and 1931 during which new lands were discovered and Byrd successfully flew across the South Pole on 29th November 1929.
The 2nd Expedition between 1933 and 1935 was equally successful with large
areas of the Continent surveyed from the air.
The 3rd Expedition was from 1939 to 1941 when a second base was opened
on Stonington Island off the Graham Land Coast. Extensive exploration took
place in both sectors but the Second World War brought the expedition to
a premature close.
The exhibit shows examples of covers from the two bases, supply ships (City of New York and Eleanor Bolling 1928-31, Bear of Oakland and Jacob Ruppert 1933-35 and Bear and North Star 1931-41) and carried on important flights.
The Expedition was granted a special 3c stamp for the 1933-35 Expedition and covers were serviced on payment of $1 each for expedition funds. A number of souvenir envelopes were produced and a selection is included in the display. The cover illustrated was carried on the first flight over the South Pole on 29th November 1929.
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