Who was Dennis Bell as British researcher found frozen in Antarctica after 65 years
The body of a missing Brit has been discovered in the ice of Antarctica, 65 years after he disappeared. The remains of Dennis 'Tink' Bell were found in a melting glacier, where he had been frozen since 1959.
Discovered in January by a Polish Antarctic expedition, the explorer's body was found alongside a watch, radio and a pipe. Bell had died at age 25 after falling into a crevasse while working for the organisation that is now known as the British Antarctic Survey.
David Bell, Dennis' brother, told the BBC: "I had long given up on finding my brother. It is just remarkable, astonishing. I can't get over it."
Professor Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey, added: "Dennis was one of the many brave personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions.
"Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research."
But as the explorer and the incredible discovery of his body makes headlines, questions are rising on exactly who Dennis Bell was, and what he was doing out in the tundra.
Here's everything you need to know about the explorer.
Who was Dennis 'Tink' Bell?
Nicknamed "Tink", Dennis Bell was born in 1934, and brought up in Harrow, north-west London.
He worked with the RAF and trained as a meteorologist before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which brought him to Antarctica in 1958.
Tink was stationed for two years at Admiralty Bay- a small UK base with about 12 men on King George Island.
The base is roughly 120 kilometres (75 miles) off the northern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, and is still in use for scientific research today.
What was Dennis Bell's job in Antarctica?
Dennis was trusted with sending up meteorological weather balloons, before radioing the reports to the UK every three hours.
He had to fire up a generator in sub-zero conditions to complete this task.
He was also in charge of the food store over the winter when no supplies could reach the team on the extremely isolated island, and he was known by colleagues as the best cook in the hut.
He was also known for his love of husky dogs, which were used to pull sledges around the island, and he raised two litters himself.
Bell also helped to explore and survey King George Island to produce some of the first mapping of the mostly untouched stretch of land.
How did Dennis Bell die?
Bell died while on a surveying trip, just a few weeks after his 25th birthday.
On July 26 1959, Dennis and colleague Jeff Stokes left the base to climb and survey a glacier.
According to accounts in the British Antarctic Survey, the snow was deep and the dogs were tired.
Dennis went on ahead alone to encourage the dogs, but he wasn't wearing his skis.
He suddenly disappeared into a crevasse, leaving a hole behind him.
According to the accounts, Jeff Stokes called into the depths and Dennis shouted back, grabbing onto a rope his colleague had lowered down.
The dogs pulled on the rope and Dennis was hitched up to the lip of the hole, almost safe from the icy darkness beneath.
However, he had tied the rope onto his belt, and as he reached the lip, the belt broke and he fell again.
This time, when his friend shouted down, Dennis didn't reply.
Since 1944, 29 people have died working on British Antarctic Territory on scientific missions, and just weeks before Dennis fell, another man on their team had died.
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