North Pole 40th Anniversary Celebrations, April – May 2009
On 6 April 1969, four men — Sir Wally Herbert, Dr Fitzroy ‘Fritz’ Koerner, Allan Gill and Dr Ken Hedges — and some forty dogs reached the North Pole whilst on an expedition that would be hailed as the ‘last great journey on Earth’, the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean along its longest axis, and the first undisputed expedition to reach the North Pole on foot.
The pioneering British Trans-Arctic Expedition (BTAE), conceived and led by Sir Wally Herbert, involved a 16-month journey across 3,620 miles of constantly splitting, buckling sea ice from Alaska to Spitsbergen via the Pole of Inaccessibility and the North Pole.
It was hailed by then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, as a ‘feat of courage which ranks with any in polar history’ and, in the opinion of H.R.H. Duke of Edinburgh, a journey which stands ‘among the greatest triumphs of human skill and endurance.’
The scientific programme, conducted by Dr Fritz Koerner, was the first surface survey of the frozen polar ocean. Koerner’s findings now provide benchmark data for today’s scientific predictions about the status of the melting polar ice cap and associated climate change issues.
No one in the past thirty years has repeated, or even attempted to repeat, their remarkable journey. Though this formidable achievement was overshadowed by the Apollo moon-landing, it stands today as one of the greatest expeditionary journeys of all time.
In celebration of the fortieth anniversary – coincidentally also the centennial anniversary of American explorer Robert Peary’s expedition toward the Pole – specialist publisher Polarworld is delighted to present a memorial celebration and a touring exhibition of prints of Sir Wally’s stunning paintings of the Arctic and Antarctic that will be shown in London and Scotland.
The Art of Exploration is an important exhibition which gives its audience an evocative insight into the experience of the polar wilderness. Sir Wally Herbert and Dr Fritz Koerner passed away recently and this is an opportunity to celebrate their contribution to our knowledge of the polar world.
EVENTS
Tuesday 7 April 2009, 7pm
The North Pole and Beyond: A celebration of polar science and
endeavour in memory of Sir Wally Herbert and Dr Fritz Koerner
Royal Geographical Society, Kensington Gore, London – Free
Daily, 29 March – 24 May 2009
The Art of Exploration: The Polar Vision of Sir Wally Herbert
Exhibition of prints of Sir Wally Herbert’s paintings
National Geographic Store, Regent St., London – Free
Daily, 30 May – 30 August 2009
The Art of Exploration: The Polar Vision of Sir Wally Herbert
Exhibition of prints of Sir Wally Herbert’s paintings
Discovery Point, Dundee, Scotland – Free
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