The graves of Oliver Burd and Michael Green at Hope Bay

Images(2)

The graves of Oliver Burd and Michael Green at Hope Bay

Publisher Fairfax Publications, Sydney Morning Herald

Date1950

Object numberANMS1452[112]

NamePhotograph

MediumPhotographic print on paper

DimensionsOverall: 152 x 206 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionA black and white photograph showing the tending of the graves of meteorologis Oliver Burd and geologist Michael Green who died when the hut at Hope Bay in Antarctica caught fire on 9 November, 1948. The base medical officer and biologist Bill Sladen, who had been in the penguin rookery tent at the time, was unable to rescue the men from the blaze. The fire burned all night totally destroying the building, food equipment and ammunition. HistoryEagle House was established in February 1945 at Hope Bay as part of the British run Operation Tabarin. The original hut was named after the ship SS EAGLE which transported the party to Hope Bay and the base in 1947 consisted of a mess room, bedroom and a workroom with extensions housing a galley, storerooms, generator room, toilets, laboratory and a carpenter’s workshop. Off to one side was a separate Niessen hut housing e,mergen reserves. Despite the care and strategy taken when designing and constructing these bases and the environment of being constantly surrounded by snow and ice, there was a constant threat of these buildings catching fire. The feat lay not only in their wood construction but also the raging winds that abounded and would make extinguishing a fire extremely difficult if not impossible. Great care was taken on monitoring the stove in the galley and mess room and there was a team member always assigned to this task. This dreaded scenario came into reality on 8 November 1948 at Eagle House when William Sladen, a biologist studying the Adelie penguin, became aware of black smoke coming from the main hut area. He was in the rookery tent at the time while his two companions Oliver Burd and Michael Green are now believed to have been in the engine or generator room. The fire took hold quickly and was flamed by south-westerly gale force winds. Despite attempting to gain access to the hut and fighting the fire for over four hours Sladen was unable to save his companions or stop the flames. When the rest of British team returned from a sledging expedition 16 days later, they found an exhausted and distraught Sladen living in the rookery tent. In addition to the death of Burd and Green, the main structure was destroyed along with all the survey work and specimens collected to date. The Nissen hut had survived with emergency rations and equipment and the team's dogs who had remained at the base. Due to terrible weather conditions, the bodies of Oliver Burd and Michael Green were not buried until the 1 December. The men were buried on nearby Met Hill with their grave markers constructed from sledge breaks. Sladen used the black paint he used to mark the Adelie penguins to write the inscriptions. On 4 Feb 1952 a new hut was established in a new position, named Trinity House after Trinity Peninsula. SignificanceThis image is part of a photographic archive covering Antarctic exploration, adventure, science, technology, the environment and work at the various international bases in Antarctica. The images were photographed by a wide range of photographers, some were expeditioners, some professional, under difficult weather, climatic and technical conditions.

The archive includes records of Australian and American activities in Antarctica post-World War II, including 'Operation Deep Freeze' and Russian, Japanese, New Zealand, Argentine and French initiatives. More recently it documents the growing environmental awareness in the activities of Greenpeace protesting the construction of an airstrip at Dumont D'Urville, and the rise of Antarctic tourism.