We have brought together a collection of links that you may find interesting. For any additions, omissions or errors, please contact us.

ANARE Club of Australia

The Secretary of the ANARE Club phoned the BAS Club Secretary to send greetings from the ANARE Club and to offer hospitality to FIDs who may find themselves in Australia at around Midwinter. A number of Midwinter dinners are held each year in June reflecting the large distances involved between centres of population in Australia.Dinners are held in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville, Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney, Alice Springs and Perth. Details of the ANARE contacts at these locations and details of the dinners are found on the ANARE Club website. The ANARE club website could be of interest all members of the BAS Club. You can contrast and compare the offerings of the two clubs. ANARE produce the magazine Aurora.

Trevor Luff is the Secretary of the ANARE Club. He may be contacted at:

The Secretary of the ANARE Club

GPO Box 2534W

Melbourne 3001

Australia

Visit the ANARE Club of Australia website

The Antarctic Circle

The Antarctic Circle is a non-commercial forum and resource on historical, literary, bibliographical, artistic and cultural aspects of Antarctica and the South Polar regions. The breadth and quantity of its content expands periodically.

The Antarctic Circle itself — as distinct from this website — is an informal international group of scholars and knowledgeable amateurs interested or involved in non-scientific Antarctic studies.

The Antarctic Circle has benefited from much useful information passed on for inclusion by many people over the years. Inclusion in The Antarctic Circle of appropriate material from persons active in the above areas is welcomed.

For more information please contact the coordinator:

This site is run by Robert B. Stephenson

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 435, Jaffrey, New Hampshire 03452, USA Tel: 603-532-POLE [603-532-7653]

E-mail: antarctic-circle@comcast.net

[Note: From time-to-time correspondents, particularly in Europe and Australia, find their e-mails are bounced back by Comcast. If this happens, try this alternative e-address: rob@rs41.org

Visit the Antarctic Circle website

The Antarctic Club

The Antarctic Club is a dining club based in the UK. Membership, by invitation, is open to individuals who have spent at least one winter or two summer field seasons in Antarctic regions or are otherwise considered eligible, and who maintain a continuing interest or involvement in Antarctic affairs. It is limited to British and Commonwealth nationals taking part in British or foreign expeditions or foreign nationals taking part in British expeditions. It has approximately 300 members.

Visit the Antarctic Club website

Antarctic Heritage Trust New Zealand

“Our mission is to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration”

Visit the Antarctic Heritage Trust website The Explorer April 2023 South Pole Inspiring Explorers Expedition

Antarctic Insider

This is the online Newsletter of the Australian Antarctic Program

Visit the Antarctic Insider website. September 2024 Issue.

The Antarctican Society

The Antarctican Society is, as its motto says, “by and for all Antarcticans.” That includes those who have had the good fortune to visit Antarctica as well as anyone interested in any aspect of it.

Visit the Antarctican Society website

British Antarctic Monument Trust

The British Antarctic Monument Trust was set up to celebrate the achievements of the men and women whose scientific exploration in the British Antarctic Territory has led to a new understanding of our planet, and to honour those amongst them who did not return.

The Trust has:

  • placed a memorial tablet in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral
  • ensured that all those who have lost their lives have an appropriate place named after them in the Antarctic
  • created a monumental sculpture, part of which is in the United Kingdom in Cambridge and part of which is sited in the Falkland Islands at Dockyard Point in Stanley

Visit the British Antarctic Monument Trust website

British Antarctic Oral History Project

The British Antarctic Oral History Project (BAOHP) is a collaboration between British Antarctic Survey (BAS), BAS Club, UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) and Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) to capture reminiscences and preserve the memories of those involved in British polar science, with particular focus on those who worked for, or closely with, Operation Tabarin, 1943–45, Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), 1945–61, and British Antarctic Survey (BAS), 1962–present.

The main collecting phase, between 2009 and March 2014, prioritised the capture of reminiscences of the older generation, maximised the opportunities for collection provided by reunion events and ensured the inclusion of the full range of BAS activities.

Over 280 interviews have been collected so far, and transcription work continues. As interviews become available to the public both the recording and transcription will be added to the British Antarctic Oral History Project website.

BAS Club member Allan Wearden allan.wearden@btinternet.com is the main Club coordinator.

British Antarctic Survey

Polar science for planet earth

Visit the BAS Website – News – Bases – People RRS Sir David Attenborough (BBC website)

Cool Antarctica

There is a website that may be of great interests to Fids, run by Paul Ward, who was a marine biologist at Signy from 1985-87. The website is Cool Antarctica.

The site contains a Fids section to which you are invited to register, and you can choose to provide an e-mail address to correspond with other registered Fids.

Visit the Cool Antarctica website

Endurance22

The Search for Shackleton’s Lost Ship

Visit the Endurance22 website. See also Celebrating Harry McNish and New 3D Scans (BBC)

Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust

The Historic Dockyard Museum – Celebrating the Cultural Heritage of the Falkland Islands
With galleries covering social, maritime and natural history, the 1982 war, and Antarctic Heritage. The outbuildings include Smithy & Gear-shed, R/T & Telephone Exchange, Printing Office and Wash-house
The Historic Dockyard Museum, Port Stanley,Falkland Islands.

Visit the Falkland Islands Museum website.

Fergus O’Gorman

Visit the Antarctic Affair podcast

Halley Fids

There is now a website dedicated to Halley ex-Fids which aims to compile an unofficial history of Halley Bay, Antarctica, from the viewpoint of the people who lived there and also put and keep former Halley Bay residents in touch with each other through the Internet as well as sharing information and news.

Visit the Z-Fids website.

The James Caird Society

The James Caird Society was established in 1994 and is dedicated to preserving the memory and honour of Sir Ernest H Shackleton KCVO (1874–1922). It is based at Dulwich College, London — the explorer’s old school.

The Society is a registered charity and its President is the Hon Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton.

The (restored) famous lifeboat ‘James Caird’ is on permanent display in the Laboratory the College and in May and November each year a dinner-lecture is held where members gather around the ‘Caird’.

An annual Newsletter is circulated and every 18 months the JCS ‘Journal’ (a quality and highly regarded academic publication) is produced; see here.

The Committee welcomes new members — please see the James Caird Society website for more information.

Kenn Back

Kenn spent eight winters with BAS, 4 of them as a meteorologist at Base T, Adelaide Island. Later he was Base Commander at Signy, Halley, Faraday and Rothera. He retired to live in Uruguay and is now at the Sir Winston Churchill Home in Montevideo, run by the British Society in Uruguay. See page 8 in the February 2023 edition of their Newsletter Contact. for a picture of Kenn at a Boxing Day party at the home. For more pictures of Kenn, see here.

The last Antarctic Dog Sled

A video produced by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society of a presentation by John Wright and John Killingbeck about the last jourmey of the BAS dogs.

You may view the video here.

Marguerite Bay

Stories, Anecdotes and “Grips” – By Fids, for Fids (and Friends and Relatives)

Visit the Marguerite Bay website margueritebay.org

Mike Gloistein

Mike is Radio Officer on the new BAS ship RRS Sir David Attenborough. His GM0HCQ website has a wealth of information on the ship.

New Zealand Antarctic Society

“Connecting with Antarctica since 1933 to discover, share and protect the region”. Visit the Society’s website. More information here.

Rick Price (Signy)

Rick was Diving Officer in charge of the scientific divers. He has put a number of videos on YouTube.
Life at Signy Island & the Antarctic Peninsula, 1978 to 1981
Signy Island, Antarctica, divers & diving, 1984 – 87
A Scientific Cruise, including scuba, into the Sea Ice in the Bellingshausen Sea.

Royal Geographical Society

Founded in 1830, this is the UK’s learned society and professional body for geography, supporting geography and geographers across the world. It was crucial in supporting the Antarctic expeditions of the Heroic Age. Nowadays it provides teaching resources to schools about Antarctica.

Visit the Royal Geopgraphical Society website. Professor Dame Jane Francis awarded Royal Medal

Scott Polar Research Institute

The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a well-known and long-established centre for research into both polar regions. It is part of the University of Cambridge.

Visit the Scott Polar Research Institute website  —  Friends of SPRI Capt Robert Falcon Scott train

Shackleton Museum

Athy Heritage Centre-Museum has the only permanent exhibition anywhere devoted to Shackleton.

Visit the Shackleton Museum website and Nimrod – Volume 14 – October 2020  Nimrod – Volume 15 – October 2021

Signy Fids

Those who live and work on Signy Island

Visit the Signy Fids website

South African Antarctic Club

The South African Antarctic Club is open to membership to those expeditioners who have overwintered at one or more of South Africa’s research stations on the Antarctic continent, on the sub-Antarctic Marion Island or South Atlantic Gough Island. Anybody else who have also visited any of these stations, or have an active interest in these places, are also welcome to apply for Associate Membership.

Visit the South African Antarctic Club website

South Georgia Association

The South Georgia Association was formed to give a voice to those who care about South Georgia. South Georgia has an interesting heritage, is environmentally vulnerable, very precious, and very worth defending and preserving.

Visit the South Georgia Association website

South Georgia Museum

Preserving the island’s past and creating a better future for South Georgia

See also the South Georgia Museum and Shackleton’s Last Quest

See also the Friends of South Georgia Island

United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust

The United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust works to conserve Antarctic buildings and artefacts, and to promote and encourage the public’s interest in their Antarctic heritage. The Trust’s Patron is HRH The Princess Royal and its Vice Patrons are Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Dr Dafila Scott, and Dr Charles Swithinbank. The Trust is managed by Trustees drawn from the ranks of those with Antarctic expertise and/or are enthusiasts for the region.

Visit the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust website
Southward bound!  All quiet on the southern front Polar Perspectives
BBC Breakfast interview with the 2024-25 team