dfb Dictionary of Falklands Biography 1592 - 1981

SOUTH GEORGIA & THE SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS

Although South Georgia was first sighted in 1685 and has only had a settled population for part of the Twentieth Century, it has been visited by some notable personalities ranging from Captain Cook and Ernest Shackleton to the Duke of Edinburgh.

It was the home of a considerable whaling industry for the first half of the Twentieth Century and most of the whalers came from Norway. We shall consult Norwegian historians to ensure that the whalers are fully covered.

During the 1920s and 1930s the Island was base to the Discovery Expeditions, which were largely funded by revenue from the whaling industry. These expeditions laid the foundation for British oceanographic research and we shall include several of the leading scientists in the DFB.

The South Sandwich Islands have never been inhabited but they were largely discovered by the Russian explorer Thaddeus von Bellingshausen.

A separate board will supervise work on South Georgian personalities. It is composed of:

 
• David Tatham

   

• Robert Headland

   

• Robert Burton

   

• Ian Hart