Gino Watkins: Encyclopedia Arctica 15: Biographies

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

Page 002

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

Page 003

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,

Page 004

EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

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.

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

Page 006

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.

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

Page 008

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

Page 008

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

Page 009

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:

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

Page 011

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.

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,

Page 013

EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

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.

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

Page 014

EA-Biog. Scott: Gino Watkins

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.

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.

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

Page 017

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.

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.

J. M. Scott

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.

Gino Watkins: Encyclopedia Arctica 15: Biographies