BIOGRAPHY

I qualified in medicine at St George’s Hospital, University of London. Here Edward Wilson, Scott’s friend and confidant had trained some sixty-five years previously. As a junior doctor in the hospital I saw many of Wilson’s iconic pictures of Antarctica and became fascinated by the continent and the explorers of the early 1900s. My interest did not lessen throughout my years working in the National Health Service as a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine and after retirement I wrote the biography of Wilson, a truly great hero. I subsequently wrote the biography of P.O. Edgar Evans, a competent, practical Welshman who accompanied Scott to the South Pole and was the first to die on the ill-fated return. Edgar was blamed, in some circles, for the deaths of the entire party. I felt this slur was outrageous.

To complete my biographies of Antarctic Polar Heroes of the early 1900s I have now written the biography of of William Speirs Bruce. For the last year of the work I have been joined as co-author by John Dudeney, OBE. Bruce was a man who struggled for recognition from the British Government, but who made remarkable contributions to knowledge about the Polar Regions. He charted 4,000 miles of previously unsurveyed Southern Ocean, he found new land, which changed our understanding of the southern continent, he set up a meteorological station on the South Orkneys which continues to-day under the auspices of Argentina. Indeed he can be thought of as the father of oceanography in the Southern Seas. In addition he charted and explored many of the Arctic Islands and was convinced of their economic potential, particularly in relation to minerals. In this he has been proved right.

Because of this total fascination with Antarctica, I now speak regularly on Antarctic subjects and Antarctic heroes and have done so for over ten years. I really enjoy doing this and have met a huge variety of interesting people. I speak to: specialized societies, history societies, clubs, women’s groups, the University of The Third Age, medical societies and Women’s Institutes. I spoke on Queen Mary 2 on the NY – Southampton sail and have made presentations in The States and Switzerland, The talks are Power Point presentations and are fully illustrated.

I have published in specialized journals.

Antarctica has become an overwhelming interest!