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The early 20th Century was a time of great exploration of Antarctica as various expeditions attempted to become the first to reach the South Pole. You may already know a good deal of what some of the explorers experienced in terms of the extreme physical conditions and the inevitable danger of being cut off from other humans for years without access to radio, proper shelter or reliable sources of food.
Yet incredibly the explorers somehow adapted to the loneliness and constant hazards which became a normal part of life. Due to Antarctica’s extreme winter, which can include four months of total darkness, polar explorers endured intense confinement in close quarters for long periods of time.
Richard Byrd, the American pioneer and explorer explains “The ones who survive with a measure of happiness are those who can live profoundly off their intellectual resources, as hibernating animals live off their fat.”
So how did the Antarctic explorers of the early 1900s survive tedium in such a state of isolation with minimal if any contact with the outside world – certainly no Internet! Let us think about some of the key elements that came to be so important to the explorers.
Books played a huge role in the lives of the polar explorers. The library aboard Shackleton’s ship Endurance included plays, poetry, books on exploration, the Encyclopaedia Britannica and a broad range of novels.
Poetry, one explorer explained, “was useful, because it gave one something to learn by heart and repeat during the blank hour… when the idle mind is all too apt to think … of purely imaginary grievances.”
Some men even attempted to learn a language. Roald Amundsen, the leader of the Norwegian Fram Expedition (1910-1914), studied Russian grammar on one of his expeditions.
Daily diaries were very common among polar explorers. Many of the men were aware that accounts of their experiences could have monetary value in the future. The diaries served as records and keepsakes for their families while they also became a way to differentiate one day from another.
Many polar explorers created newspapers for themselves. Reports on the weather or accounts of visits to penguin colonies were interspersed with short stories, poetry, interviews, crossword puzzles and word games. They were also illustrated with both humorous and artistic drawings.
Board games were equally important, with chess being a very important pastime on the Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913). According to Robert Falcon Scott, “Our most popular game for evening recreation is chess; so many players have developed that our two sets of chessmen are inadequate.”
Music was seen as vital to the sanity and welfare of the explorers. The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902-04) included an official bagpiper.
When abandoning the slowly sinking ship Endurance, Ernest Shackleton’s men were allowed to carry very limited personal effects. But Shackleton insisted that the meteorologist Leonard Hussey take his banjo along, saying, “It’s vital mental medicine, and we shall need it.”
Shackleton was always very quick to arrange a range of activities to keep the 28-strong party busy and was a stickler for maintaining routines, with regular mealtimes being a feature. Most importantly, he inspired the men to believe that, despite their isolation, they would all be going home.
Below deck in the cramped confines of Endurance, the expedition found room for a small billiards table which was in constant use. In one episode of mid-winter madness, the entire party (Shackleton included) had their heads shaved – not that I am advocating this! Long hair is more likely in our current day lockdown.
One member of the famous Shackleton expedition was the renowned photographer Frank Hurley, so lantern slideshows of his marvellous photographs were another important feature of life. Many of the photographs that I used in the film I made for the assembly on this theme were taken by Hurley and they are still considered to be some of the greatest pictures ever taken in Antarctica.
More energetic pursuits saw the crew harness teams of huskies for an unlikely Antarctic Dog Derby across the ice, accompanied by great support.
Before the 24-hour darkness descended in winter, the men also staged a full-scale 11-a-side football match in sub-zero temperatures, hundreds of miles inside the Antarctic Circle. Makeshift posts were erected, a referee took charge and it was reported that The Reds were victorious over The Whites with 2-1 score.
Many of the pursuits I have outlined are probably not that dissimilar to some of the activities which make up part of our normal week. I hope you are being active and positive in how you use your time – whether it is being able to spend more time on something you have always enjoyed or in trying something new, possibly even developing a new skill or seeking a deeper understanding of a particular topic. It is certainly a time to enjoy such opportunities.
Watch “A Sense of Direction” Assembly
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Our theme for the second half of the Spring Term was a key value for the school, that of community; At The Hall we wish to demonstrate equality, diversity, teamwork, citizenship and our place in the wider world through community.
Just before we closed the school due to the CV-19 distancing measures, the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered a message from Lambeth Palace. In his address, he considered some of the choices we would all have to make as the lockdown took hold:-
“The temptation may be to pull up the drawbridge and just look after ourselves. That’s the kind of thing that leads to panic buying, to growing fear, and to spiritual and emotional as well as physical isolation.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury asked us not to do that. He reminded us that “Life carries on and there is much to celebrate in our communities.” He urged us “to listen to the voice of God’s caring love for us, and his encouragement to turn ourselves towards others, and how we can care for those around us, in person or virtually.”
Signs of ‘putting on a brave face’ in a show of solidarity started in Italy, where they called out messages of support to each other from balcony to balcony and shared recipes, cheeringup the world in the early stages of their confinement by singing and playing musical instruments from their balconies. In Spain, communal stairways became the new running tracks while videos of neighbours cycling around balconies and flatmates playing foot-ping went viral.
In London and around the UK, we have seen an outward turning of gratitude towards the frontline workers in the NHS and care homes being expressed through Thursday evening ‘Clap for Our Carers’… we have seen an outward turning of compassion as people flock to volunteer to help the ill and vulnerable, through physical acts of shopping, delivering and making. New friends are being made, old relationships are being deepened.
Looking ahead to the Summer Term, as we face a further period of lockdown I have been reflecting upon how we can cultivate our own Hall community through this unique time of challenge. How we can build upon the basis of connection with each other, developing something that we all hold in common to be valuable, even though we cannot physically be together to do so. What can our community goal be during this time?
In my reflections, I came across an article by Ian Holdcroft, the adventurer and entrepreneur, which is ringing true in my mind. The key message that I have taken from Holdcroft’s piece is that although we cannot control the virus and as UK citizens we are at the behest of our government to stay physically removed from each other, what we can do is choose how to respond. Feeling that we are active in decision-making through the lockdown, rather than a helpless victim of the distancing measures, might be what counts through this extended period of being physically apart from our community. Passivity just makes you feel fearful and increases anxiety. But each of us has a choice in how we approach the demands that the lockdown imposes upon us – as an individual, as a member of our family and as a member of our school. We can choose our attitude.
The CV-19 pandemic has reminded us that human connection can spread illness. Let’s show ourselves that our Hall community above all promotes positive decision-making and kindness. Let’s be calm, be positive, be present, be respectful and see this lockdown as a unique opportunity to choose our attitude.
Chris Godwin
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