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The Team
R.E. LANGFORD, Age 23, King's College, Regular RE Officer (Leader). 2nd year Mechanical Sciences. Alpine Club, Royal Naval Expedition to Norway 1958. i/c Glaciological survey
T.A.J. GOODFELLOW, Age 22, Gonville and Caius, (Deputy Leader). 2nd year History. 5 Alpine seasons. i/c Equipment
A.R. CROFTS, Age 21, Gonville and Caius, Scholar, 3rd year Natural Sciences (Biochemistry). i/c Food and Physiology
G.F. BONHAM-CARTER, Age 21, Magdalene. 2nd year Geology. New Zealand Alpine climbing. i/c Geology, Publicity and Film
C. W. (Bill) BARLOW, Age 20, Sidney Sussex, 1st year Economics. 2 Alpine seasons. Travel asst. and i/c Exchequer during expedition
J.W. DALE, Age 27, Selwyn and St. Bartholoaews Hospital. Final year clinical. i/c Medical
The Expedition was funded by private contributions, gifts of equipment, supplies and food from many genorous donors, and grants from the Everest Foundation, the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Medical Research Council.
A brief account of the Expedition appeared in:
Langford, Robert (1963) Cambridge Mountaineers in Baffin Island. The Geographical Magazine, Feb. issue, pp, 598-610.
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The map shows the general area of our activities. Mts. Asgard, Queen Elizabeth, Battle and Fleming had been climbed and named by the previous expedition. We climbed and named Mts. Friga, Turl, Midgard, Anawakaluk and Siki. The feature Ozymandius was, as might be expected, "two vaste and trunkless legs of stone", which we also named.
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The climbing was Alpine, with the peaks rising 6,000 feet above the glaciers (which were at about 1,000 ft). When the weather was fine, the long days made for fine conditions. When the weather turned, it got cold very quickly, and we were forced to truncate several trips.
We stayed for several days at the Eskimo settlement at Broughton Island, waiting for the sea-ice to break up, so that we could ferry our supplies to the foot of the Pass. We had a great time getting to know the people, through the kind assistance of the school teachers at the settlement. We went on a seal hunting expedition, and learnt Eskimo dancing and games. The dancing was reminiscent of Scottish and Irish jigs and reels, and was said to be derived from steps learnt from the whalers who replenished supplies there in earlier times. One game was particularly memorable: the players would sit in a circle, legs stretched out with feet towards the center. The person who was "it" then stood in the center, and attempted to fall down (while keeping a rigid posture, with hands at sides). When he succeeded, the person he fell on became "it". The discrepancy in size between the Eskimo and the visitors might have been expected to produced an unfair advantage to the latter, but the strength and resilience of the home players was quite impressive!
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The Physiology programme consisted of investigations in two fields:
Urine samples were collected at intervals over a 28 hour period, together with records of urine volume, of food and drink taken during the period, and of activity. The samples and records obtained are undergoing analysis at the MRC Laboratories, Hampstead.
Studies of environment were undertaken by means of a hand anemometer, and a whirling psychrometer. The micro climate was shown by recording changes in resistance (and hence of temperature) in a wire vest worn by the subject. Meteorological data are being obtained from the Canadian Government. Records of activity, and readings from the various instruments were taken at 30 minute intervals throughout a number of 24 hour periods. In view of the conditions under which the investigations were conducted, a very complete series of results were obtained. These have not yet been analysed in detail, since the meteorological data has not yet been obtained from the Canadian Government. However, the preliminary analysis indicates that there is a marked diminution in variation of climate, the met. climate showing greater variation than the exposure climate, and the micro climate showing variations only on a very small scale. It also appears that the variations in micro climate arise not from changes in environmental climate, but from changes in degree of activity of the subject.
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The food was packed in boxes containing approx. 25 man/days of food per box, thus allowing a 6 x 4 man/day independent ration. In fact, since the packing was not completed as planned, the boxes tended to be raided for their choice contents, so that some disorganisation arose. However, the system was largely successful, and with a little more time devoted to packing, would have been very convenient.
In view of the good weather, and the amount of load-carrying which our situation necessitated, the calorie output was probably in the region of 5,300 cals./day, for many days in succession, and food intake adjusted itself accordingly. From the point of view of variety, the diet proved quite acceptable, and by drawing on the 20% reserve, the calorie intake also proved adequate. However, a number of points deserve mention.
Diet
Item Calories/man/day Wt./man/day(oz.)
Milk Powder 150 1
Sweets 168 1.5
Drinking Chocolate 154 0.5
Instant Oats 187 1.5
Instant Potato Powder 78 0.5
Soup Powder 100 1
Tea - 0.25
Curry Powder - 0.05
Salt - 0.4
Sugar 336 3
Meat Bar or Pemmican 810 5
Cheese 290 2
Instant Coffee 50 0.25
Drink Powder 112 1
Chocolate 656 4
Sultanas 72 1
Margarine 450 2
Plain Biscuits 278 2
Wholemeal Biscuits 278 2
Marmite - 0.1
Dehydrated Vegetables - 1
Jam 32 0.4
Chilli Powder )
Pepper )
Herbs and spices ) as available
Sauces )
Tomato Puree
Rice )
Macaroni ) as alternatives to Potato Powder
Spaghetti )
Cigarettes
Rum
Vitamin Capsules
FOOD AND CONSUMABLE STORES TAKEN
Item Total Quantity
Ostermilk 36 lbs.
Complan 24 lbs.
Welch's Sweets 225 lbs.
Barley Sugar 7 lbs.
Sharp's Sweets 5 lbs.
Mint Cake 10 lbs.
Fudge 5 lbs.
Drinking Chocolate 30 lbs.
Porage Oats 61 lbs.
Dehydrated Potatoes 21 lbs.
Soup 150 packets
Tea 10 lbs.
Curry Powder 4 lbs.
Salt 15 lbs.
HF/6 Meat Bar 62 1/2 lbs.
Nut Pemmican 60 lbs.
Meal Packs (Batchelors) 5 lbs.
Cheese 60 lbs.
Coffee 9 lbs.
Drink Powder 28 lbs.
Chocolate 122 lbs.
Sultanas 30 lbs.
Margarine 70 lbs.
Biscuits 65 lbs.
Vita-Wheat 21 lbs.
pumpernickel/Rye slices 25 lbs.
Marmite 2 1/2 lbs.
Sugar 88 lbs.
Dehydrated Vegetables 50 lbs.
Jam 6 lbs.
Honey 5 lbs.
Syrup 5 lbs.
Marmalade 5 1/2 lbs.
Rice 28 lbs.
Spaghetti 12 lbs.
Tomato Puree 10 1/2 lbs.
Chilli Powder 2 lbs.
Ovaltine, Powder 1O lbs.
Tablets 3 doz. tins
Macaroni 10 lbs.
Pepper 2 lbs.
Sauces, various 11 lbs.
Oxo 1 gross cubes
Dried Egg 5 lbs.
Dehydrated Fruit 5 lbs.
Chewing Gum 5 lbs. (approx.)
Navy Rum 24 x 40 oz. bottles
Cigarettes 1700
Tobacco 12 oz.
Comments
The diet as originally planned allowed 4,200 calories per man per day, and the food taken allowed for an additional 20% calorie intake per day to meet contingencies. In fact, for a number of reasons, the diet was not rigidly adhered to, and the calorie intake was probably considerably higher than that planned.
Conclusions
In view of the limitations imposed by lack of funds, and by the need for lightness, the food supplies taken by the expedition were surprisingly successful Without these restrictions, and with more time for packing etc. more variety and convenience might have been obtained within the general framework of the diet outlined, but in view of the limitations mentioned, it might be stated that the diet was completely adequate for an expedition of this nature.
Tony Crofts
Graeme Bonham-Carter