Latest news with #OfIceandMen
Fox News
6 days ago
- Science
- Fox News
Body of Antarctic explorer found after 66 years after his disappearance
The British Antarctic Survey announced that the remains of 25-year-old meteorologist Dennis "Tink" Bell were found 66 years after his disappearance. Although Bell's remains were recovered in January, they were only recently formally identified. "I had long given up on finding my brother. It is just remarkable, astonishing. I can't get over it," David Bell, Dennis' brother, told BBC News. The outlet reported that David was the one to answer the door when the family received a telegraph informing them of the bad news, which he described as a "horrendous moment." David also told the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that he and his sister, Valerie Kelly, were "shocked and amazed" to hear their brother's remains were found decades after his fatal accident. Samples of David and Valerie's DNA helped Professor Denise Syndercombe Court, a forensic geneticist at King's College London, confirm that the remains were their brother's. The two were "more than one million times" more likely than not to be related, according to BAS. After school, Bell joined the Royal Air Force for National Service and trained as a radio operator before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) as a meteorologist in 1958. On July 26, 1959, Bell, along with three other men and two dog sleds, set out to climb a glacier leading to an ice plateau, where they planned to conduct survey and geological work. The men separated into pairs with Bell being accompanied by surveyor Jeff Stokes, while meteorologist Ken Gibson was with geologist Colin Barton, according to the BAS. The BAS noted that Bell and Stokes went off approximately 30 minutes before Gibson and Barton. As the dogs grew tired in the deep, soft snow, Bell tried to motivate them by running ahead to urge them on. However, according to the BAS, he did so without his skis. That's when he fell into a crevasse, an accident that led to his death and a decades-long search for his remains. Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered. He then lowered a rope and told Bell to tie it to himself. Tragically, Bell tied the rope to his belt and not his body, according to the BAS, citing Anthony Nelson's book, "Of Ice and Men." While the team tried to pull him up to safety, his belt broke, and Bell went back down into the crevasse. This time, however, Bell did not answer. The weather worsened quickly after Bell's fall, and while his colleagues risked their lives to save him, they were unable to do so. Gibson said that after about 12 hours they found the site and realized "there was no way he could have survived," according to the BAS. "Dennis was one of the many brave FIDS 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. This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science," BAS Director Professor Dame Jane Francis said in a statement. Bell's remains were transported to the Falkland Islands aboard the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough. They were then handed over to His Majesty's Coroner for the British Antarctic Territory, Malcolm Simmons, who accompanied them from Stanley in the Falkland Islands to London.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
British man's remains found in Antarctic glacier 65 years after fatal fall
The family lived in Harrow, London, when they received a telegram informing them Dennis had died. 'The telegram boy said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but this is bad news',' David said. 'Dennis was fantastic company. He was very amusing. The life and soul of wherever he happened to be.' Dennis, known as 'Tink', worked in the RAF and trained as a meteorologist before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey to work in Antarctica. He went to Antarctica in 1958, where he was known for his 'mischievous sense of humour'. Records described him as the best cook in the hut, where he was in charge of sending up meteorological weather balloons and radioing the reports to the UK every three hours. On July 26, 1959, Dennis, along with three colleagues and two dog sledges, set out from base to climb a glacier to carry out survey and geological work. Ascending the glacier, they traversed a crevassed area, covered in deep soft snow, which 'made the going difficult and the dogs showed signs of tiredness', according to the British Atlantic Survey. Dennis went ahead without his skis to urge his team on, before falling through the crevasse bridge. Dennis Bell (left) with his fellow colleagues and the dogs that helped them to work in Antarctica. Midwinter 1959 at Admiralty Bay Base. Photo / British Antarctic Survey Sir Vivian Fuchs, a former director of BAS, described the story of Bell's death in his book Of Ice and Men. 'Peering into the depths, Stokes (Bell's colleague) called repeatedly and was greatly relieved to be answered,' he wrote. 'Lowering a rope almost a hundred feet, he told Bell to tie himself on. As he could not haul up the weight, he hitched his end of the rope to the team. The dogs took the strain and began to pull ... But Bell had tied the rope through his belt instead of around his body, perhaps because of the angle at which he lay in the crevasse. As he reached the top his body jammed against the lip, the belt broke, and down he went again.' Prof Dame Jane Francis, director of BAS, said: '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.' David Bell thought he had got as close to his brother as he could after going on an expedition organised by the British Antarctic Monument Trust in 2015. 'It was very, very moving,' he said. 'It lifted the pressure, a weight off my head, as it were. And I thought that would be it.' He was told earlier this year that his brother's remains had been found. 'I'm just sad my parents never got to see this day,' he said. 'It's wonderful; I'm going to meet my brother. You might say we shouldn't be thrilled, but we are. He's been found – he's come home now.' More than 200 personal items were found during the search, including the remains of radio equipment, ski poles, an inscribed Erguel wristwatch, a Swedish Mora knife, ski poles and an ebonite pipe stem. The BAS said Dennis' remains were transferred to the Falkland Islands on the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, and placed in the care of Malcolm Simmons, His Majesty's Coroner for British Antarctic Territory. Simmons accompanied them on to London with the support of the Royal Air Force. The BAS added: 'The human remains were sent for DNA testing by Denise Syndercombe Court, professor in forensic genetics at King's College London. She has now confirmed there is a match with samples from his brother David Bell and his sister Valerie Kelly. They are 'more than one billion times' more likely to be related than not.'
