Halley Bay I Bars

by

Lewis Juckes, geologist; 1964-1965


There were two very different bars in "Halley 1". (As with World War 1, it was not called that until after a second one came along. It was all just Halley Bay.)

The IGY hut was still in use after I left in January 1966. However, the second living hut was built in early 1961 and a bar was set up in the lounge there. The old lounge, in what was now the lower hut, was the radar workshop in my two years of 1964 and 65. (We often couldn't help calling it the radar lounge, and it was still a pleasant place.)

This was not the old bar moved up - the 1957 photo by Derek Ward shows them to be of different construction. Those present at the time would be able to give more detail, but I note that the report on the construction of the 1961 hut suggests that the question of furniture and fittings was a sore point. Apparently little or no furniture was sent with the hut components, and they were simply told to move furniture up from the IGY hut. Apart from the fact that much of it was quite rigidly built in and thus not amenable to moving, the old hut was still in full use and would continue so for some years. Much of the furniture for the new lounge was eventually made from timber salvaged from packing cases.

Anyway, the gist of this is that to cover "Halley 1" you really need pictures of two bars, which were in different huts at different times.

Incidentally, the lounge in the 1961 hut had a wooden scroll with a motto above the fire. It was "Mon Dieu Rhone feu qui ne pince-nez", and the second-years would challenge the first-years to interpret it. Suffice it to say that a knowledge of French is not an advantage, whereas a bawdy turn of mind is. Above this scroll were a shield and portrait of Halley; these three ornaments had been moved up from the earlier lounge, and are visible above the fire in Derek Ward's photo.

The old lounge in the IGY hut had imitation oak beams in the ceiling, showing adze-marks (carved into the plywood boxing). I spent some time working there, splicing wire rope for dog spans - it was not radar work, but the vice and heavy workbench were useful. Looking back from the far end of the room, I saw another motto painted on the back of one of these beams: "Vive le rotund - Vive l'obese - Vive le Booboo". Booboo was the nickname of Colin Dean, who was down there in 1960 and 61. He also went down with the Kista in late 63 - early 64 (when I did) to conduct a project on the correlation between ice floe thickness and damping of ocean swells. He was also King Fid. Anyway, when I read the motto I immediately recalled that he was, well, more heavily built than the rest of us. There must be some story there!

1 May 2005

Lounge, 1961 hut
Photo: © Lewis Juckes
Lounge, 1961 hut. Our record collection and record player are in the background. Putting feet on the fire was warm, but soon the lounge was liable to smell of burning rubber. Harry Rogers, Brian Porter, Brian Barnes, John Duff. 1965.

Bar, 1961 hut
Photo: © Lewis Juckes
At the bar of the 1961 hut. L to R, Harry Rogers, Simon Russell, unsure (possibly Ian Ross), Tony Baker. Note that the bar had much better stocks of tobacco than liquor. 1965.

Bar, 1961 hut
Photo: © Lewis Juckes
Bar, 1961 hut. Rab Reid, Stu Noble, possibly Ian Ross facing away, Chris Miller, David Shipstone, Brian Armstrong, Dick Stokes. 1965.

Lounge, 1961 hut
Photo: © Lewis Juckes
Lounge fire in 1961 hut, showing scroll with motto, shield and portrait of Halley. Harry Rogers on left; others not clear. 1965.

Halley-5 bar


1965 index page
Z-fids home page