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EA-Biography

(J. M. Scott)

GINO WATKINS

        Gino (Henry George) Watkins (1907-1932), outstanding British figure

and inspiration of the youthful between-wars school of explorers, had led

four northern expeditions by the age of 25 years. H. G. Watkins (always

called Gino, pronounced to rhyme with Reno) was the son of Lt. Colonel

Henry George and Mrs. (Monsell) Watkins. He was born in London, and was

educated at Lansing College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied

engineering but never completed either his examinations or the nine terms

necessary to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree. A fair, lightly built,

delicate child, Gino showed little aptitude for or interest in athletics

of any sort, except shooting.

        At the age of sixteen he was introduced to mountaineering at Chamonix.

Subsequent school holidays were spent in the Lake District, and a long season

in Switzerland which included some forty climbs qualified him for Alpine Club

membership. With equal enthusiasm and thoroughness he took up skiing during

his second year at Cambridge.

        During his first university year Watkins had become interested in arctic

exploration by hearing Raymond Priestley's lectures. Priestley had introduced

him to J. M. Wordie, and Wordie had promised him a place in an expedition to

East Greenland then planned for the summer of 1927. Watkins set to work

studying arctic literature and developing himself physically during the

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

eighteen months' interval. (His skiing and serious mountaineering and fly–

ing with the University Squadron belong to this period.) But when the time

came Wordie found it necessary to postpone his project. Watkins, however, was

determined to visit the Arctic, and, although only nineteen, decided to organize

and lead his own expedition.

       

Expedition to Edge Island

        He chose for his destination Edge Island, part of the Spitsbergen group.

This island, 2,500 square miles in the area, had been scientifically examined

only by the Russo-Swedish Arc of Meridian Expedition of 1899-1901, whose work

had been confined to the coast. There would have been little time, even for

an experienced traveler prepare such an expedition. But during the following

weeks, in addition to his University studies, (he had an examination to pass)

and without losing his undergraduate reputation as a light-hearted dilettante,

Watkins proved to a few intimated his extraordinarily mature grasp, directness

of kind and powers of concentration. His plans were approved by the Royal

Geographical Society, which made a grant of £ 100; the Worts Fund of Cambridge

University granted £ 150; food and equipment were bought; the Heimen was

chartered, and the following party was enrolled: Major H. T. Morshead, D.S.O.

(surveyor); N. C. Falcon (geologist); Dr. Hugh M. Woodman (medical doctor);

A. G. Lowndes (biologist); R.v.d.R. Woolley (physicist); V. S. Forbes (assis–

tant surveyor); C. T. Dalgety (ornithologist); A. G. Michelmore (land biolo–

gist and botanist).

        The Heimen , a two-masted motor-driven sealing vessel of 72 tons (Captain

Lars Jacobsen) sailed north from Tromsö on July 23, and on July 31, 1927

anchored in Deevie Bay, a large indentation in the southwestern part of Edge

Island, at the spot marked Keilhau Bay on the Admiralty Chart (in fact the

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

coast is scarcely indented at this point). The surveyors at once went to

Whales Point to pick up the triangulation points left by the Russians. A

party led by Watkins set out with a man-drawn sledge to cross the icecap

eastward, surveying by plane table. Continual bad weather caused this plan

to be severely modified and results were scant.

        Twelve hours after his return to the ship, Watkins, accompanied by Forbes

and Falcon, set out again, this time carrying packs. They succeeded in

making a compass traverse across the island northward from Deevie Bay to

Cape Lee and Cape Heuglin, where the ship picked them up, on August 23, after

an anxious delay due to its having gone aground. Rations during the land

party's march had consisted of 1/2 lb. Bovril pemmican, 1 lb. plasmon biscuits,

and 1/2 lb. chocolate per day.

        The surveying program had seriously suffered from the weather. During

four weeks spent on Edge Island there were only five fine days. The main

icecap, it was found, is roughly horse w s hoe-shaped, with its extremities

running out into the two arms of Deevie Bay. On the west and north coasts

none of the glaciers from the icecap reach the sea, but on the east and south

coasts several glaciers reach it. Most glaciers are retreating. The icecap

consists of large, rounded snow domes, the greatest height recorded being

2,000 feet. The whole island has been subjected to gradual uplift, which

is probably still continuing. This has resulted in the formation of curious

canyons near Keilhau Bay. The magnetic, biological, botanical, geological,

glaciological, and ornithological results obtained by various specialists

working chiefly from the ship on the southern and western coasts of the

island are published in the Geographical Journal, Vol.72, n.2, August 1928.

        Considering the brief period available and the natural difficulties

encountered, these results are remarkably good. But, for the layman at least,

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the most striking aspect of the expedition is that it was organized and

led by an undergraduate who had not yet reached his twentieth birthday.

        After pondering various projects, Watkins decided to sail for Labrador

the next summer and make exploratory surveys in the southern half of the

peninsula. The sudden death of his mother in the spring almost caused him

to give up these plans but he was persuaded to go through with them.

       

Labrador Expedition

        On June 26, 1928, he sailed from Liverpool with J. M. Scott and L.A.D.

Leslie. Scott was the same age as Watkins, and Leslie a few years older.

The Royal Geographical Society, which had made him the Cuthbert Peek Grant

for his work in Edge Island, also backed this expedition with £ 300 and the

loan of instruments. Owing to the dispute between Canada and Newfoundland

about the actual position of the southern boundary, Labrador was then in

the news, comparatively little being known about this potentially rich,

well-watered, thickly forested and undeveloped country. Even compass tra–

verse surveys of the interior would be of value.

        Traveling to St. John's and thence by coastal steamer and motorboat,

the party, on July 20, reached Northwest River, near the head of Lake

Melville, a tidal lake. (The settlement at Northwest River, one of the largest

in this region, is described separately. Goose Bay, as the head of Lake

Melville is called, is the site of the important air field established during

World War II and maintained thereafter.) Five days later the first survey

journey began. The intention was to travel by canoe to the headwaters of

the Hamilton River, which empties into Goose Bay, there to explore the

complicated system of lakes and short-cut rivers, which include "Unknown"

River and Valley River, and about which the information was then confused

and incomplete.

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

        The first attempt was a failure. After a fortnight of paddling,

towing, and portaging up a flooded river, Robert Michelin, the trapper who

accompanied the party, backed his foote with an axe while splitting fire–

wood. Since it was impossible to leave him alone and unsatisfactory to

divide the small party, Watkins decided to return at once to the base and

postpone the Unknown River journey until the winter. He realized that it

would be impossible to carry on sledges the same quantity of provisions

that could be taken in a canoe, and the journey, of course, would be of

the same length - about 500 miles - so haste and hardship were bound to

result. But in the circumstances he had no choice. After the return to

Northwest River settlement the season was too advanced for another attempt

at ascending the Hamilton by water.

        By August 20 August Michelin's foot was sufficiently recovered for him

to travel by canoe. With him and a second trapper, Douglas Best, the party

set off up the Kenamu, a river which promised to be much shorter than the

Hamilton and which flows into Lake Melville from the south. The intention

was to explore the river to its head and thence follow a different unmapped–

country route back to the base.

        This was done. The Kenamu was a sluggish stream for the first thirty

miles, but among the Mealy Mountains it was an almost continuous series of

rapids until the plateau lakes were reached. These, a series of lakes connected

by short stretches of rivers so that on a map they look like a string of

sau s ges, were later found to be typical of the Labrador marshes.

        So great is the amount of water contained in those plateau marshes,

where lakes and meandering streams abound in a maze-like profusion, that it

would probably always be difficult to recognize the actual source of a

Labrador river. (Where, for example is the exact "source" of water which drips

from a sponge?) When the [k?] K enamu, in its recognizable stretches between

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

lakes, became narrow enough to jump across (and much too shallow to canoe

[ ?] along) the party made a portage northeastward, using whatever swamp

lakes they found in their path, until they found themselves on a stream

with a recognizable current flowing in the general direction of Lake Melville.

This, they hoped, might very likely be the Traverspine River, which would

lead them back to the base, for after a month of wet and arduous travel their

soluble foodstuffs had been reduced by frequent immersions almost as much as

by appetite.

        The reader, if he has had an opportunity of examining the recent air

photographs of this district or the map drawn from them, may wonder why the

party was ever in doubt which way to go. He would realize in a moment if

he could be transported to the Labrador backwoods. It is all lakes and forests

of black spruce trees. The country is flat and it is generally impossible

to see more than a hundred yards in any direction — except by climbing a tree,

and then one is rewarded only by a view of an infinite number of similar trees

and a weary waste of shapeless smudges of water. Rarely is there any helpful

landmark. The only way to survey such a country effectively is by air photo–

graphs with ground control. This expedition made a compass traverse controlled

by theodolite observations of sun and stars, but they could not afford the air

survey which wartime values have since made practicable.

        The descent river, all rapids until five miles before its end, proved

to be the Traverspine, and a running survey was made of this also. Then

followed the transitional autumn season when Leslie went home and Watkins

and Scott made a plane-table survey of Grand Lake, the forty-mile-long expanse

of water to the north of Northwest River settlement. They also collected dogs

and prepared for sledge as opposed to canoe travel.

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

        Watkin's next plan, as soon as winter conditions prevailed, was to

travel northeastward to Hopedale, on the Atlantic coast of Labrador. The

route lay up Grand Lake and thence by Indian portage routes to Seal Lake,

which Wallace had reached in the summer of 1905. From Seal Lake onward

any major features such as lakes or rivers were generally shown on the maps,

if they were shown at all, by dotted lines, until the coast was approached.

There was, in fact, plenty of useful work to be done.

        The journey, as is usual on such Occasions, proved a great deal harder

than was expected. And the small party, Watkins, Scott, and Michelin, haul–

ing their three sledges in team with one or two dogs which were attached

to each, finally reached Hopedale and its Moravian Mission, if not in a

state of starvation, at least in one of keen appreciation of the virtue

of Christmas feasting.

        The return journey, made at the end of December 1928 and in January 1929,

proved harder, owing to bad weather, than the outward trip. At one stage the

party might have been in serious straits but for the stockings full of good

things which Watkins's romanticism had caused to be hung up in a "Christmas

tree" during the outward journey.

        After a week at Northwest River, spent chiefly in preparation, the same

party left with toboggan sledges and seven dogs for the headwaters of the

Hamilton, some 250 miles away. The questions which interested them have

since been fully answered by air survey but it may be useful to make a very

brief statement of the problem as it then existed. The main course of Hamilton

River was sufficiently well mapped. But at its headwaters, in the area of

Grand Falls, it was known to flow in the form of an inverted U, Lake Ossokman–

uan forming half of the left-hand arm of the ᑎ, Grand Falls being near the

apex. On the right-hand arm the water apparently turned southward through

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

Bowdoin Canyon and formed the Hamilton proper. Former explorers, J. G. Thomas

in 1921 and Varick Frissell in 1925, had found two rivers, the Valley and the

Unknown, flowing into the right-hand arm of the ᑎ , and each had seen a water–

fall divided by a central rock. But these surveys had been incomplete and it

was not known if at least one of these rivers did not cut right across from the

left-hand arm of the ᑎ, turning the figure into an A and thus [ ?] robbing

Grand Falls of some of its water. Nor was it certain whether Thomas and Frissell

had seen the same waterfall or two very similar waterfalls on Unknown River.

        Watkins was able to prove that Unknown River does flow out of Lake Ossok–

manuan and short-circuits, Grand Falls. Furthermore, Unknown River itself

divides into two branches for a stretch of some 15 miles. There is a waterfall

on each of these branches and a third where the branches reunite. With Grand

Falls, where there is a drop of some 300 feet, it is clear that this area is

well supplies with water power.

        This information was obtained at the expense of four out of the seven

dogs, dead from hunger and exhaustion, and considerable lardship to the men.

The journey could scarcely in any case have been made without discomfort,

but groping through the deep snow and thick woods in the Unknown River area

was slow work. And just at this period when food was at its shortest (for

a dump for the return journey had been left on the Hamilton), a very cold

spell of weather was experienced, with temperatures below –40°F. A con–

tributory cause may well have been that the dogs on this journey were fed

in the local stype on boiled cornmeal instead of pemmican which they had

been given on the Hopedale trip. An interesting point is that the three

animals which survived were those with the habit of eating slowly.

        The party returned to Northwest River settlement on April 1. Watkins

had hoped to leave the country by sledging over the height of land southward

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

southward to the St. Lawrence. But the spring thaw had already started

and the rapid rivers were no longer possible roads. So, after collecting

fresh dogs, he and Scott sledged down Lake Melville to the Atlantic coast,

thence southward to Battle Harbour and southwestward to Forteau. They

were ferried across the Strait of Belle Isle and reached England via Fort

Aux Basques, Quebec, and New York.

        A remarkable aspect of Watkin's character was that, in spit of his

capacity for enjoying idleness or frivolity when there was no work to be

done, he was fiercely apposed to wasting a day - a certainly would not

waste a season - which might be spent in exploration. While sledging out of

Labrador he had already roughed out and discussed with Scott the plans for

his next enterprise. His interest was in the Great Circle air route between

Canada and Europe, via Greenland. After the experience gained in Edge Island

and Labrador he felt capable of making a base in East Greenland and exploring

that least-known part of the Great Circle route.

       

British Arctic Air Route Expedition

        Returned to England, as soon as the results of the Labrador expedition

had been wo rked out, Watkins published his plans for the following year.

He estimated that about £ 12,000 would be required, a far larger sum than his

previous expedition had cost. This was largely because he intended to take

two airplanes, Labrador having impressed on him that air survey was essential.

Also, since a lot of icecap travel would be included in the program, rations,

clothing, and equipment would have to be of the very best.

        Watkins soon proved that, in spite of his youth (he was now twenty-one

years old), he was quite capable of gaining the confidence of financiers as

well as of scientists. A Committee was formed consisting of Stephen Courtauld

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

(Chairman); A Courtauld (Treasurer); Captain R. Rayner (Secretary); J. M.

Wordie; A. Holt; Gino Watkins. The Prince of Wales consented to become

President of the Committee. With such a backing Watkins's plans became

practicable, and in due course the following party was enrolled to form

the British Arctic Air Route Expedition, 1930-31: Gino Watkins, leader;

J. M. Scott; Augustine Courtauld; A Stephenson, chief surveyor; Captin P.

Lemon, radio; L. R. Wager, geologist; Flight Lt. N. H. D'Aeth, pilot;

Quintin Riley, meteorologist; Lt. Martin Lindsay; J. R. Rymill; F.S. Chapman;

W. E. Hampton, second pilot; Surg. Lt. E. W. Bingham doctor; Flight Lt.

H. I. Cozens, photographer and assistant pilot.

        It was a typical party for Watkins to choose. Nearly all were under

twenty-five years of age and only Courtauld and Scott had former northern

experience. But all were keen, fit, mutually likeable and ready to do

anything, unhindered by preconceived ideas. No official grading relative

to seniority was ever made, nor is the above list an attempt at one.

        The equipment included two D.H.60 X Moth aircraft, adaptable for either

skis or floats. The sledging tents were of the double-covering, four-pole

pyramid type. The sledging ration was remarkable, Watkins having subordinated

most other considerations to that of obtaining 6,000 calories per day in two

and q quarter pounds of food. It was as follows:

Bovril Pemmican	8	ozs.
Maypole Margarine	8	"
Plasmon Wholemeal biscuits	4	"
Pea flour	2	"
Plasmon powder (protein)	2	"
Plasmon Oats	3	"
Lump sugar	4	"
Cocoa and milk powder	1	"
Chocolate	3	"
Malted milk	0.5	"
	35.5	ozs.

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

        There were also small quantities of cod-liver oil, dried yeast powder,

concentrated lemon juice, and essential salts. The most striking feature

of this ration was the relatively small quantity of biscuits and large

quantity of margarine. During a week's trial in London it was found to

be literally nauseating. But it fully proved its value for sledgers on

the icecap, for it keep Courtauld in good health for six months. And it not

only was good but also tasted good under those conditions.

        On July 6, 1930, the veteran polar ship Quest sailed from St. Catherine's

dock with the British Arctic Ail Route Expedition on board. She called at

the Faroe Islands to pick up Scott, who was waiting there with 49 huskies

which he had bought in West Greenland. with this additional cargo she sailed

on to Reykjavik, Iceland, and thence to East Greenland. A suitable site for

a base was found in a fjord south of Angmagssalik, a Norwegian trapper's

hut, brought out in sections, was erected, and [ ?] scientific work

immediately began.

        During the next thirteen months seven main journeys were made by the

expedition, in addition to those directly connected with the Ice Cap Weather

Station. All journeys started from the base camp, Lat. 65° 38′ 50′ N., Long.

38° 38′ 25′ W.

        The first journey was a topographical and geological survey of the

coast as far north as Kangerdlugssuak Fjord, the Quest, an outboart motorboat,

and one of the airplanes working in conjunction. All members of the expedi–

tion with the exception of Lemon, who remained at the base, and Scott, Rymill,

Riley, Lindsay, Bingham, who were establishing the Ice Cap Weather Station,

took part in this journey. The topographical survey was by plane table supple–

mented by air photographs. The highest range of mountains in Greenland,

named the Watkins Mountains after Watkin's death, was discovered. The

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

party was away from the base between August 11 and September 14.

        Second Journey . Watkins and Scott made the second journey by dog sledge.

They accompanied the first relief party to Ice Cap Weather Station, which

had been set up on what appeared to be highest level of that part of the

inland ice, 8,200 feet, about 130 miles inland W.N.W. of the base. On

October 5 they turned south intending to sledge down the crest of the ice–

cap to the highest point of Nansen's crossing about 200 miles away. This

journey was a failure and might have developed into something more serious

but for the extraordinary behavior of the dogs. During the first part of

the journey the weather was remarkably good for that late season of the

year. Yet the dogs, two good teams of seven animals each, refused to respond

to any form of encouragement known to the drivers. Ten miles was a good day's

journey. So, instead of sledging at least two hundred miles southward before

turning for home, Watkins was forced to turn after covering 95 miles from the

Ice Cap Station.

        Immediately the weather broke. Hundred-mile-an-hour gales blowing from

the northwest — almost at right angles to the direction of travel — lashed

the tent and made sledging impossible except during brief intervals. Most

fortunately, the worse the conditions became, the more the dogs recovered

their spirit, and the party reached the base on November 11 with one day's

food in hand. From the experience of this journey, and others too, it appears

that September is the last month during which icecap travel is dependable.

The third journey, an October attempt to reach Kangerdlugssuak by the icecap,

failed for the same stormy [ ?] reason. This, with the exception of the Ice Cap

Station journey to be described later, finished long distance travel for the

season.

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        But Watkins, whose "bible" in such matters was Stefansson's The Friendly

Arctic, did not encourage idleness during the winter. Local surveying,

geological and meteorological work was done. Also there was some flying —

except when both aircraft were incapacitated by storms. And a major pre–

occupation was hunting to provide fresh meat for the men and essential food

for the growing complement of dogs. Watkins studied the Eskimo methods of

seal hunting, both at this time and when open water came, with critical care.

He had a number of future exploratory plans in mind, the success of which

would depend upon his hunting skill.

        A word may usefully be said here about the social life at the base.

There was a complete absence of formal discipline and routine, but a lively

spirit of rivalry in endeavor and emulation of the leader's achievements.

Watkins never depended on any artificial symbols of authority. He was "Gino"

to everyone. Leading a primitive existence, he maintained his authority only

by demonstrating his superiority in appreciation of scientific values, hunting,

enruance, travel, luck, and everything else which affected the party's life

and success.

        Icecap Journeys. In the early spring the "shooting party" atmosphere

at the base was disturbed by the first failure to relieve the one-man garrison

at the Ice Cap Station. The story of that weather observation post may now

conveniently be told. The purpose was to obtain a regular series of meteo–

rological observations from the highest part of the icecap which would make

a parallel to those obtained on the coast. Scott's party had built the

Station at the end of August. It consisted of a beehive-shaped tent, nine

feet in height with double canvas [ ?] walls and a tunnel as means of entrance.

It was first occupied by Lindsay and Riley. They were relieved by Bingham

and D'Aeth, who traveled in with Watkins, at the beginning of Journey No. 2,

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already described. It was intended that they in their turn would be relieved

by a third couple after six to eight weeks. But it happened that the November

relief under Chapman suffered appalling weather, and the party were conse–

quently so much delayed that they ate up en route a large proportion of the

food intended for the wintering party at the Station. This forced a decision

as to whether to abandon the Station or garrison it with one man. Augustine

Courtauld volunteered to remain alone rather than interrupt the important

series of observations. On December 6 he was left at the Station with enough

food to last him, by careful rationing, until the beginning of May. During

the winter two or three flights were made to drop extra supplies, but the

Station could not be located, for reasons which will later be apparent.

And then both aircraft were knocked out by storms.

        On March 8, after two false starts, Scott, Riley, and Lindsay managed

to get beyond the rough coastal area and started a relief journey. They

suffered extremely severe weather — high winds accompanied by low tempera–

tures — and when at last they reached the area of the Station they were held

up by a six-day blizzard which so corrugated the surface of the icecap that

visibility was difficult even during the brief clear spells which succeeded

the storm. Finally, faced by the probability of losing all their dogs (they

had already killed two for food) they ran for the base, which they reached

after spending forty days on the icecap.

        The date was then April 17. There was still time for a second party to

reach Courtauld by the beginning of May, a fact which had influenced Scott's

decision to return when he did. But his failure to see any sign of the

Station — even allowing for drifting snow which had reduced visibility and

probably made sun observations inaccurate — caused many people a good deal

of alarm.

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        Watkins, however, refused to be worried. With complete calm, yet

unresting energy, he made his preparations and set off with Rymill and

Chapman, leaving instructions that any outside rescue attempts were to be

firmly discouraged. His now proverbial luck — perhaps the most valuable

quality that any leader can possess — stood him in good stead, and the

weather radically improved. But as a serious contribution to Courtauld's

safety (besides his own remarkable self-sufficiency) one must also remember

the excellend of the ration and the strength and suitability of the tent

and other equipment which Watkins had designed. "Luck" generally depends

upon a practical foundation.

        On May 5 Watkins reached the position of the Ice Cap Station. The tent

was entirely buried, with the two-inch-wide ventilating tube only just pro–

jecting. Courtauld, however, was in excellent health and spirits after his

lonely five months' vigil and the party returned to the base to start prepa–

rations for the final journeys. (Courtauld's experiences are described

elsewhere.)

        Fourth Journey . Stephenson, Wager, and Bingham left the base by sledge

for Mount Forel, in the Watkins Mountains, on May 6 and returned on May 26,

having surveyed this mountainous area and climbed within 700 feet of the summit.

(Mount Forel, the second highest peak in Greenland rises to 11,023 feet.)

        Fifth Journey. On July 1, Scott, Stephenson and Lindsay left the base

by dog sledge for Ivigtut on the southern part of the west coast of Greenland,

448 miles away. They arrived on July 29 after a fast and comfortable journey

southwestward across the icecap, during which they had kept up a sledging

average of nearly seventeen miles a day. Traveling was done at night, some–

times using sails on the sledges. Apart from a mist of snow crystals which

formed almost every night, the weather was good. The highest altitude of the

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icecap recorded was 9,200 feet.

        Sixth Journey. Rymill and Hampton sledged from the base northwestward across

the icecap to Holsteinsborg, on the west coast of Greenland. They left on

August 12, each carrying a kayak on his sledge. The first part of the journey

was rapid, but as the western edge of the icecap was approached they were

seriously delayed by rough ice, slush and numerous thaw channels. Among the

rivers and deep fjords of the coastal sretch, where they used their kayaks,

they were delayed by ice. They finally reached Holsteinsborg on October 20.

        Seventh Journey . On August 15, Watkins, Courtauld, and Lemon left the

base for an open-boat journey round the southern tip of Greenland to Manor–

talik, six hundred miles away. Their equipment consisted of two outboard

motoboats with 4 h.p. Johnson seahorse engines, three kayaks, emergency

sledges, and hunting instruments. Their arrival was announced in a message

from Julianehaab the next settlement up the coast, on October 9.

        The journey started well and the surveying program, which was to map

the coast as far south as Umivik, was completed by September 1, the men

working daily from dawn till dusk. Thereafter trouble of all sorts dogged

them, principally bad weather and eingine trouble. Puisortok, a glacier

feared by the Eskimos from its havit of calving under water, hold them up

for many days. The final near disaster was of a semicomical nature. By

radio it had been arranged with the Danish authorities on the west coast

to leave a dump of "patrol" (gasoline) at Augpilagtok. This was done —

except that the fuel left was paraffin, (Danish petrolium , American kerosens).

The party managed, however, to complete the journey successfully. One aspect

of this venture was that only a little oatmeal and sugar was carried. Watkins

kept the party in food by hunting from his kayak.

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        Thus the B.A.A.R.E. finished with a sort of explosion which carried

half its members across Greenland on three pioneer journeys. These parties

found their way back to England individually.

        Many months elapsed before the members of the original expedition

were able to piece together the entire story and exchange accounts of their

adventures which, in the case of Watkins and Courtauld and of Rymill and

Hampton, were epic. D'Aeth, Bingham, Cozens, Riley, Wager and Chapman returned

to England via Copenhagen in comparative comfort on the Gertrude Rask, which

sailed from Angmagssalik on August 9, reaching Copenhagen early in September.

Scott, Stephenson, and Lindsay left Greenland later, sailing from Ivigtut

aboard a cargo vessel at the end of August. Watkins and Courtauld had com–

pleted their journey and were waiting with some anxiety for Rymill and

Hampton at Sukkertoppen, where they received the news by radio that the latter

had safely arrived at Holsteinsborg and immediately set out to rejoin them.

But that was in October; and the four men — Lemon had dropped out at

Julianehaab to go directly home to his military duties — did not reach

England until the end of November 1931, for they sailed on the Hans Egede ,

the last boat of the year. Once they had arrived in Copenhagen (November 12)

a series of important official receptions of course delayed the return of

the arctic heros to their native land.

        Watkins, as usual, had been looking well ahead and the next project

seriously discussed in England was a crossing by dog sledge of the Antarctic

Continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. But before he could give

much time and attention to this project he had, of course, to wind up the

last expedition, arrange for the preparation and publication of the results,

and give his lecture to the Royal Geographical Society.

016      |      Vol_XV-0887                                                                                                                  
EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

        The work of the B.A.A.R.E. was applauded. Watkins was honored by the

geographical societies of England, Scotland, Denmark; he was received by

the King, the Prince of Wales, and the King of Denmark; and the whole

expedition was awarded the Polar Medal with Arctic Clasp, an honor which

had not been given for half a century. As a further claim upon his time,

watkins was giving public lectures all over the country to pay off the degt

of the B.A.A.R.E., and was as well flying with the R.A.F. Reserve.

        When he was able to turn his attention to his Antarctic plans he

found considerable interest and encouragement in official quarters —

but very little money. England had gone off the gold standard, the economic

depression was paralyzing all enterprise. Watkins proposed to dut down his

party from eight to four men and employed considerable ingenuity to reduce

his estime to £ 13,000. The Discovery Committee in May offered between £ 3,000

and £ 4,000 toward this sum. But the finding of the balance would remain

Watkins's responsibility, and give he would have no time for money hunting

if he was to organize and launch an expedition within the next few months.

        Immediately following this Committee meeting, Watkins took a quick

decision. If he persisted in attempts to launch an Antarctic expedition,

it was very probable that he would have to postpone it for a year and so

miss a season of exploration. On the other hand, there was still just time

enough to prepare a small expedition to East Greenland, there to continue

work upon the arctic air route. By depending on hunting he could save the

expense of buying food and thus run the whole expedition for about £ 1,000.

It was a certainty. He chose it. The Antarctic must wait.

        British Arctic Air Route - American Airways Expedition

        His party would consist of Rymill - who was destine to prove himself upon

this expedition - Riley, and Chapman. They would live in a beehive tent in

017      |      Vol_XV-0888                                                                                                                  
EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

Lake Fjord, the Y-shaped bay in latitude 66° 17′ N. from which he and

D'Aeth had done most of their survey flying during the summer of 1930.

It was a convenient seaplane base because there was a freshwater lake

above the head of the fjord. The cost would be covered by the Royal

Geographical Society, Pan American Airways Company, and a publishing house.

He had a little more than a month to make all the preparations. During

this period he became engaged to Margaret Graham. Exactly eleven days

later, the original plans had to be revised, for on August 20, Gino Watkins

was drowned.

        Watkins met his death while hunting in his kayak in the northern part

of the fjord, which is headed by a glacier. Expert in the handling of a kayak,

Watkins had nevertheless previously had some narrow escapes while fishing,

hunting, or harpooning [ ?] from the light and easily capsized boat so much

used in those waters. In fact, only a few days before the fatal accident,

while harpooning seals on an ice floe, he had come close to death. Upon

that occasion a piece of the glacier broke off, fell into the water, and

the resultant wave crashed him against a cliff and capsized his kayak to which

he had tied himself with a piece of towline. It is thought that something

similar may have happened on the 20th. All that is known is that on that

day he did not return. And when Rymill and Chapman set out by motorboat

to explore the site, pieces of glacier were breaking off and it was only

after much searching that they saw indications of their missing comrad e :

Watkins's kayak floating upside down, and, 200 yards from the face of the

glacier, the dead man;s sodden belt and trousers on a small ice floe. It

is supposed that, having capsized, Watkins had tried to disengage himself

from the kayak and his encumbering clothes to swim to shore through the

ice waters. His body was never recovered.

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EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

        Gino Watkins is remembered not only for the achievements of his

expeditions but for his quality as a leader and the inspiration with which

he inspired his followers. His youth, age, and manner, his unconventional

methods, and his wonderful capacity for endurance, both mental and physical,

made him not only an inspiring commander but a real friend of all who worked

with him.

        He showed that useful scientific work can be done in the Arctic (when

the necessary instruments are lent) for very little cost. He followed

Stefansson's principle of living off the country and proved that a European

can quickly and easily become at least as good a kayak hunter as the Eskimo.

He brought the spirit of sport to exploration, thereby increasing rather

than otherwise the hard work that was done. He demonstrated [ ?] anew that

the best leader of a scientific party is not necessarily himself a specialist,

in fact, that a man of general interests may better coordinate the work of

specialists, keep them contented, and get the most out of them.

---

BIBLIOGRAPHY

J. M. Scott. Gino Watkins, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1935.

----. The Land That God Gave Cain, Chatto and Windus, London, 1935.

E. S. Champman & Others. Northern Lights , Chatto and Windus, London, 1934.

Martin Lindsay. Those Greenland Days, Blackwood, London and Edinburgh, 1938.

Royal Geographical Society Journal - Vol. 72, n.2 Aug. 1928.

" " " " " 75, n.2 Feb. 1930.

" " " " " 79, n.5 May 1932

" " " " " 79, n.6 June 1932.

" " " " " 80, n.1 July 1932.

" " " " " 83, n.5 May 1934.

       

J. M. Scott