| Arrangement | The files within this series appear to have come from the Royal Society's secretarial filing, including the filing of D C Martin (Royal Society Assistant Secretary, 1947-1962, and Executive Secretary, 1962-1976) and some of George Hemmen, later of the Society's Expedition Department. The files were boxed, most likely in the shelf or drawer order in which they were originally kept. This box order arrangement has been largely maintained, with some light rearrangement to separate scientific data and maps. This results in a fairly flat, non-chronological arrangement. Papers that date from the expedition are in EXP/11/1, while a small series of papers that post-date the expedition can be found in EXP/11/2.
An earlier handlist for the Halley Bay archive existed, and the reference numbers for these have been listed on the National Archives 'Discovery' archive database, with these files having the reference 'H.BAY'. At the time of cataloguing this archive, the original handlist has been lost. Where possible, the new catalogue records have been cross-referenced with the old catalogue reference from the National Archives database, and they are noted in the field 'Alt_Ref_No'. |
| AdminHistory | 1945, Antarctic bases built as part of wartime Operation Tabarin (1943) were transferred to the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) and full control passed to the Colonial Office.
In 1950, scientists including Sydney Chapman FRS proposed to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) that an International Geophysical Year (IGY) should be planned for 1957–1958, coinciding with an approaching period of maximum solar activity. ICSU set up the Special Committee for the International Geophysical Year (CSAGI) in October 1952. The Royal Society was the UK's representative to ICSU, and so became responsible for the UK's involvement in the IGY. On 11 December 1952 the Royal Society set up a British National Committee (BNC) for the IGY, chaired by James Wordie. At the fifth meeting of the BNC, an Antarctic Subcommittee was established, under Wordie's chairmanship. A further subcommittee named the Antarctic Analysis Subcommittee, chaired by David Brunt, was appointed to supervise the publication of scientific results.
Discussions progressed around the possibility of establishing an Antarctic station at Vahsel Bay, which lay within the FIDS area. In 1955 H M Treasury agreed to provide the funds for the Vahsel Bay station. The Royal Society's most substantial contribution to the IGY was the research station Halley Bay (named after Edmond Halley), founded in 1956. Halley Bay was based on the Weddell Sea coast, within British Antarctic Territory, and a key area for geophysics.
Planning began in 1953 for an unconnected project, the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) led by Vivian Fuchs FRS. There were plans for this expedition to be co-located at Halley Bay. When these plans proved unworkable, in 1955 the Society decided that it would be necessary to send an advance party to the Antarctic to set up the station. The advance party was led by Lieutenant-Commander David Dalgliesh, formerly of FIDS, along with ten men. Their main task was to build a base camp for the main party, as well to start some scientific work. The advance party sailed on the m.v. Tottan in November 1955.
The Royal Society main party, comprising of twenty men, was led by Lieutenant-Colonel R A Smart. Departing in November 1956, they sailed on the m.v. Magga Dan, accompanied by the main party of the Commonwealth TAE. The m.v. Tottan accompanied, carrying supplies and stores. The main party took over the Halley Bay station in January 1957, with the advance party returning to the UK in March 1957.
The programme of observations was planned by the Antarctic Subcommittee: meteorology; geomagnetism; aurora and airglow; ionospheric physics; glaciology and seismology.
In 1958 the Royal Society's operations at Halley Bay ceased. The station was transferred to FIDS (Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey).
ICSU established the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), February 1958, to continue the coordination of international science in Antarctic after the IGY. Fellows of the Society who were chairmen of SCAR include Professor J Sutton and Dr R M Laws. Delegates representing the UK were appointed to SCAR through the British National Committee on Antarctic Research of the Royal Society. SCAR was serviced for many years by George Hemmen of the Royal Society who, alongside L U Mole of the Royal Society, had been to the Antarctic with FIDS/BAS.
Antarctic Treaty, 23 June 1961. The Treaty organisation has been advised, informally, on scientific matters by SCAR.
FIDS (Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey) was renamed British Antarctic Survey (BAS), 1962. BAS transferred from the Colonial Office to the new National Environment Research Council (NERC), 1967. Dr David Martin, executive secretary of the Royal Society, played a major role in these negotiations.
Following the formation of NERC, the Royal Society British National Committee on Antarctic Research continued to act as the formal UK link to SCAR but was no longer required to give scientific advice to BAS, that function passing to NERC.
The Royal Society continued to support scientific endeavours in the Antarctic from the 1960s to the present day, through exchange programmes for Antarctic scientists, discussion meetings, and through the support of individual Fellows studying the Antarctic.
Film footage from the Halley Bay expedition can be found under reference number AV/3/15. |