Year: 2002
Type: article
Abstract: George Colin Lawder Bertram showed early interest in natural history.In 1932, while reading zoology at St John's College, Cambridge, he and fellow undergraduate David Lack organised the Cambridge expedition to Bj0rn0ya, undertaking ornithological studies and collections.The next year, as a member of the three-man Cambridge expedition to Scoresby Sound, he was transported to East Greenland by the celebrated French explorer J.-B.Charcot, in his equally celebrated expedition ship Pourquoi-Pas?, a remarkable experience for an aspiring polar biologist.After a brief spell studying coral reefs in the Red Sea, in 1934 Bertram joined the British Graham Land Expedition, initially as a marine biologist with the ship's party, later replacing Brian Roberts in the shore party.One of a series of non-governmental, low-budget, but strikingly efficient expeditions that characterised post-'Heroic Age' British polar exploration, the BGLE gave Bertram many opportunities to learn polar craft, including sailing, dogsledging, and surveying, from friendly experts only a little older than himself.There were also opportunities for a young biologist to make his mark.The 16 men and 80-100 sledge dogs relied heavily on seals for food: Bertram studied the seals as they were killed, writing his conclusions in a scientific report and a thesis that earned him a Cambridge PhD.He was awarded also the Polar Medal and the Bruce Memorial Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.Bertram later told his experiences in 'Antarctica sixty years ago: a re-appraisal of the British Graham Land Expedition 1934-1937,' which was published as a complete edition of Polar Record (32 (181): 98-183 (April 1996)).In 1939 Bertram married Kate Ricardo, a fellow graduate in zoology.In the same year he wrote Arctic & Antarctic: the technique of polar travel.During the early months of World War II, he was involved in War Office research on Arctic clothing, which included designing and testing early versions of the string vest.From 1940 he joined the Colonial Office, becoming chief fisheries adviser in Palestine, later fisheries adviser to the Middle East Supply Centre in Cairo.After the war Bertram returned to Cambridge, taking up a fellowship and tutorship at St John's and immersing himself in college administration and raising four sons.From 1949 he held the part-time appointment of director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, a prestigious but chronically under-funded institution that made little use of his polar knowledge and skills.Before retiring on 31 December 1956, he was instrumental in ensuring that his succes-
Source: Polar Record
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4248862798