40s and 50s Memories
The last Husky dog team journey in the Antarctic
From 2000 I have been lecturing on chartered
Russian ice breakers and ice strengthened ships
for the American Company "Quark". Journeys
have been to the Ross Sea, visiting the iconic
wooden huts of Borchgrevink at Cape Adare,
Scott's hut at Cape Evans and Shackleton's
at Cape Royds. The ships have cruised
extensively off the Antarctic Peninsula, South
Shetlands, South Orkneys, South Georgia
and the Falkland Islands. The ships only take
100 passengers so it is relatively easy to get
passengers ashore in the Zodiac Dinghies to
visit the penguin rookeries, historic sites and
more recent scientific bases. To stand on the
small beach at Point Wild on Elephant Island,
where Shackleton's men from the Endurance
survived in their upturned boats is an incredible
experience. What amazing leadership and
example was shown by those 22 men who lived
on this stormy beach from 17 April to 30 August
1916, the Antarctic winter.
I now lecture in the UK on Antarctic affairs and
had the great pleasure of delivering the Royal
Geographical Society Christmas children's
lecture in the late 1990's. A small island in
Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, is named
Killingbeck Island (67°S 63°W).
A. LLOYD-EDWARDS
Carpenter 1958
Adrian Lloyd-Edwards arrived late at King's,
entering the Sixth Form from a Welsh Grammar School. He entered Carpenter House where
he found Peter and Barbara Harvey 'kindness
itself.' He recalls Boris as 'Skiv's' deputy and a
fellow newbug Sydney John Gill as a 'star'. Of
his rugby, his friendships and later life he writes:
Rugby was all-important at King's with Clod and
Mike Jordan our coaches, and these two were
as good as I ever came across in later years.
My time at King's was very happy and I made
good friendships, some of which have lasted a
life-time.
Of his later life he writes:
I became a student at Guy's Hospital in 1958
and there I had the time of my life. One of my
fellow students was "Bags" Dariabegi OA, a
wonderful hockey goal-keeper, who, on his
arrival at Guy's, caused considerable disquiet
in the path lab after presenting his requested
urine sample in a whisky bottle that had not
been rinsed out previously!
We played first-class rugby at Guy's and it is
hard to imagine that now. Five of us shared
a flat including Graham Roblin, OA, who was
studying theology at King's College, London.
After he was ordained, he joined the Army,
retiring as an Archdeacon. Graham died in 2005
and The Times' Obituary described him as an
"Army chaplain, the power of whose ministry
enriched all who came into contact with him."
All four of his old flat-mates were at his funeral
in a packed Sherborne Abbey.
I qualified in dentistry in 1963 whereupon I
entered the Royal Navy as a Surgeon Lieutenant
with the princely salary on £1,800 per annum.
I played rugby for the Navy, Combined Services
and Hampshire in between serving all across the
globe in the Far East, the Arctic, Malta, mostly
with three Commando Brigade, Royal Marines,
and afloat in HMS Albion, a Commando Carrier,
and HMS Torquay.
In 1967 I was appointed to Britannia Royal Naval
College. My first visit there had been when
playing for King's in 1956. I bought a house in a
village just outside Dartmouth and that is where
I live now. Life on the Staff was idyllic but very
hard as I was working seven- days-a-week, and
24 hours-a-day. The longed- for, long summer
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