An extremely rare posthumous Polar Medal with accompanying ephemera, as awarded to David Peter ‘Dai’ Wild, British Antarctic Survey, a surveyor at Halley Bay during the 1964-1965 season, who became one of only approximately 26 recipient’s of posthumous Polar Medal. Wild, whose surname is illustrious in the history of Antarctic exploration, played a large part in the survey of Tottanfjella, some 240 miles to the East of Halley Bay. The distinguished explorer Sir Vivien Fuchs described the circumstances leading up to death of the three men: Jeremy Bailey, Wild and John Wilson, on 14 October 1965, this recounted in his book Of Ice and Men. Wild had command of a team of four who were on a depot laying mission in preparation for the next season and in the area near the Pryamid Rocks by the Milorgknausane nunataks in the Norwegian area of Antarctica. This was the first time that the newly developed ice-depth radar was being used to map the contours of the rocks far below the ice. They were travelling late in the day on the second evening with low drifting snow when the Muskeg tracked tractor slipped backwards into a deep crevasse.. Wild together with Bailey and Wilson, plunged into the crevasse in their Muskeg, falling some thirty metres, and were crushed against the ice walls. His Polar Medal, one of only three with the clasp ‘Antarctic 1964-65’, was gazetted on 25 July 1967. The Milorgknausane nunataks were renamed by the Norwegian Authorities as Mannefallknausane and a Wildskorvene was a geographical feature names after Dai Wild. In 1966, Swansea University, in conjunction with his parents, set up an award to be known as the David Wild Prize, to be awarded annually to an Honours student in Geography who has submitted an outstanding dissertation.
Polar Medal, EIIR Dei.Grat. bust, 1 Clasp: ANTARCTIC 1964-65; (DAVID PETER WILD), Mountid on wearing pin as issued.
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Together with an original press photograph of Wild aboard the M.V. Tottan on his way to Antarctica. This taken in the docks just prior to the departure of the vessel, and Wild is shown having a last conversation with his then girlfriend, Barbara Williams, who .
Old newspaper cutting taken from The Sunday Express London of 27 May 1966 which details the expedition and the death of the three explorers.
David Peter Wild, known as Dai, was born on 31 May 1941, the son of Peter and Muriel Wild, who whilst originally from Lancashire, moved to Wales in 1938, where his father, worked as an Industrial Photographer for Courtaulds at Greenfield, and his mother, a graduate of Manchester High School for Girls and Manchester University, taught History and Latin at Clarendon and Howells – two noted girls’ schools in north Wales.
His parents were both keen and hardy walkers – knowing well the Pennines and Snowdonia - but also the Alps – and in later years climbing in many parts of the world. Their experiences also led them underground with Muriel being the first woman to descend certain pots in Western Ireland.
His farther was a member of the male only Rucksack Club but after the birth of his son, both he and Muriel became active members of the more family orientated Midland Association of Mountaineers (MAM). From a very early age Dai Wild was introduced to the hills and became a very capable mountaineer with experience in the Alps as well as widely throughout Britain.
In 1946 the family moved to the village of Dyserth, Flintshire and Wild was educated first at Hiraddug Primary School, Dyserth and later at St. Asaph Grammar School. During these early years he was a keen and popular member of 2nd Rhyl Scout Group developing his interest in camping and outdoor life. He was Troop Leader and gained his Queen’s Scout Award. His strong personality, his great enthusiasm in everything he did, his forthright views and infectious sense of humour made him an ideal companion whether on the hills, in camp or in climbing hut.
Moving on to University College, Swansea, where he gained a B.Sc Degree with Honours in Geography. In 1961 he took part in a scientific expedition to Oksfiord in Arctic Norway with the Natural History Department of the College. He then won a post-graduate scholarship to study photogrammetry but before he could take up the course he was selected to join the British Antarctic Survey in 1963, and travelled to the base at Halley Bay..
Wild’s surname is illustrious in the annals of Antarctica and the history of Polar Exploration, as he followed in the footsteps of two other Polar Medallists with this surname, John Robert Francis ‘Frank’ Wild, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s right hand man and a true titan of the Heroic age, and his slightly lesser known brother, Harry Ernest Wild. All would become Polar Medallists. Of the two brothers, Frank, one of the most famous of the British Antarctic explorers, would win the medal with four clasps, whilst Harry, gained the medals with two clasps with an Albert Medal to boot. But Dai Wild, whilst earning it with only one clasp, was the only one of the three of this surname to earn it posthumously, he being also one of only approximately 26 recipient’s of a posthumous award!
As a surveyor at Halley Bay during the 1964-1965 season, he played a large part in the survey of Tottanfjella, some 240 miles to the East of Halley Bay.
The distinguished explorer ‘Sir Vivien Fuchs describes the circumstances leading up to loss of Jeremy Bailey, David "Dai" Wild and John Wilson in his book Of Ice and Men.
“In 1964/5 season Tony Baker, Lewis Juckes, Simon Russell and David Wild spent 206 days in the field, most of the time completing works in the Heimefrontfjella. They also visited what were then known as the Milorgknausane nunataks forty miles to the west to begin the survey and geology of this group. At various points they found much crevassing, and it was these bad areas which were later to be the scene of a tragic accident.
“In 1965/6 a new project was introduced, to sound the ice depth using radio-echo equipment recently developed by Dr Stan Evans at the Scott Polar Research Institute. It had been tested in the Arctic but this was its first use in the south, and Jeremy Bailey was the physicist in charge. He had already successfully installed and operated the equipment on a tractor, and made short journeys around base. It was then decided to attempt soundings during a major journey to the mountains.
“In September ten men set out with three Muskegs and three dog teams. Despite constant mechanical troubles largely due to very heavy loads, they arrived at Pyramid Rock', the main depot in the Tottanfjella. One tractor with a broken propeller shaft had had to be towed over the last mile and it was obvious that there must be a pause for fairly lengthy repairs on two of the vehicles. Doug Beebe and Brian Porter, the mechanics, made camp and set about the overhauls.
“On 12 October the remaining eight men split into two groups. Roddy Rhys Jones, Geoff Lovegrove, Paddy Haynes and Juckes began topographical survey and geology in the mountains. Wild was in charge of the second unit - John Ross, Dr. John Wilson and Bailey. They travelled westwards with one Muskeg and a dog team, intending to lay a depot near the Milorgknausane nunataks for use by future parties visiting the Vestfjella, a mountain group 100 miles further on.
“Wild believed that by following the route he had travelled the previous season, they would be able to reach a point thirty miles south of the nunataks without crossing any dangerous areas. On their first day they covered only twelve miles, held up by difficult terrain associated with an ice fall ten miles from 'Pyramid Rock'. Then the going was excellent, although low drifting snow obscured the surface, and it was agreed to travel late. At eight o'clock in the evening, having made thirty-eight miles, the accident happened.
“Wild, Bailey and Wilson were in the Muskeg. The dog team, with Ross sitting on the sledge, was attached to the last of two tractor sledges, thus thirty yards behind his companions. While he happened to be glancing backwards his sledge suddenly stopped moving. He turned to see the leading sledge tilted up over a yawning hole, and there was no sign of the tractor which hauled it.
“Anchoring himself with rope, he rushed forward and peered down to see the Muskeg jammed in a crevasse more than 100 feet below. There was no immediate response to his continual shouts, but twenty minutes later he heard Bailey's agonised voice crying out that both Wild and Wilson had been killed, while he himself was badly injured and could not survive. Poor Ross lowered a rope but Bailey ceased to answer his calls.”’
In June 2020, the BBC published an article giving more details into the deaths of the three men. This was published in conjunction with the series ‘Frozen Continent’.
‘Ross shouted down. There was no reply from the three men in the cab. After about 20 minutes of shouting, Ross heard a reply. The exchange, as he recorded it from memory soon after the event, was brief:
Ross: Dai?
Bailey: Dai’s dead. It’s me.
Ross: Is that John or Jerry?
Bailey: Jerry.
Ross: How is John?
Bailey: He’s a goner, mate.
Ross: What about yourself?
Bailey: I’m all smashed up.
Ross: Can you move about at all or tie a rope round yourself?
Bailey: I’m all smashed up.
Ross tried climbing down into the crevasse, but the descent was difficult. Bailey told him not to risk it, but Ross tried anyway. After several attempts, Bailey stopped responding to Ross’s calls. Ross heard a scream from the crevasse. After that, Bailey didn’t respond.’
Another member of the expedition, Roddy Rhys Jones, who whilst not with that particular party, would later add his recollections to the BBC article. Crevasses – deep clefts in the ice stretching down hundreds of feet – are serious threats while travelling across the Antarctic. On 14 October 1965, there had been strong winds kicking up drifts and spreading snow far over the landscape, according to reports on the accident held at the British Antarctic Survey archives. This concealed the top of the chasms, and crucially, the thin blue line in the ice ahead of each drop that would have warned the men to stop.
“You can imagine – there’s a bit of drift about, and there’s bits of ice on the windscreen, your fingers are bloody cold, and you think it’s about time to stop anyway. You’re driving along over the ice and thumping and bumping and banging. You don’t see the little blue line.”
Sir Vivian Fuchs continues in his book Of Ice and Men: “Darkness was falling, and even if Ross had attempted to go down into the crevasse, there was little hope that he could have got out again unaided. That nightmare of a night he camped alone at the scene quite distraught, trying frequently to make contact again but there was never any response. By morning he had to accept that his three companions had died.
Frantic attempts to make radio contact with base or the other field parties all failed, and at last Ross set off on the forty-five-mile journey back to `Pyramid Rock' to rejoin Beebe and Porter. After the first shock of hearing the news, they managed to make radio contact with base, who immediately ordered Rhys Jones to take his party back to 'Pyramid Rock’.
By the 23rd they had all joined forces and set out together for the scene of the accident. On arrival Beebe was lowered down to the fallen Muskeg, where he discovered that the three occupants had been crushed by the cab as it fell between ever-narrowing walls in the crevasse. It was not even possible to attempt to recover their bodies. The overwhelmed and silent little party stood in mute prayer while Lovegrove conducted a short service. An improvised wooden crosss was erected to mark the spot.
It will not be without honour to have died at the very end of lands and nature. Tacitus
Reluctant though one is to criticise when death has supervened, in the interests of those who will follow it is perhaps permissible to examine the causes of this accident. It was unwise to have continued travelling in drift conditions where crevasses might exist. The party believed they were on a route pioneered and proved the year before, but in fact they were off course and headed into a crevassed zone which the drift had prevented them from seeing. Furthermore, a technique had been developed whereby dog teams were helped to keep up with tractors by hitching them onto the last sledge towed by the vehicle. This was not recognised as a dangerous practice by eager young men understandably anxious to accomplish the maximum amount of field work in each short season.
If the dogs had been leading, the crevasse might well have been found without untoward results. Again, since dogs are always reluctant to move in drift conditions, the discipline of always running them in front would surely have brought the column to a timely halt. It is easy to say all this with hindsight, but perhaps worthwhile so that others may learn, and even be saved from similar tragedy.
The severe shock we all felt was particularly poignant for the twenty-nine Fids at Halley Bay, and it is a great credit to them that the summer work continued. Lovegrove and Haynes remained in the field to finish the survey while the others returned to base to reorganise. Then Samuel, Dave Brook, Beebe and Chris Gostick set out once more in a Muskeg to try and retrieve the broken tractor and other equipment which had been abandoned at `Pyramid Rock'. This was not successful since there were now only a few hours of daylight, and they suffered high winds and drift. Of the forty-two days spent in the field, twenty-five were lie-ups' when it was impossible to leave the tent. Despondently they returned to base at the end of May.
1966/7 The geology and surveys in the Heimefrontfjella being finished, our scientific plans turned to the Theron Mountains and the Shackleton Range. At the beginning of the following season Haynes, Dick Cuthbertson, Brian Swift and Stuart Noble made a depot-laying journey to cache supplies for later parties trying to reach the Therons. They then travelled to 'Pyramid Rock' and recovered the Muskeg and all the material abandoned the previous year. An engraved memorial plaque had been made and sent south in the relief ship. Now this party climbed to the highest survey point and fixed it to the rock as a tribute to the three men who had lost their lives. It was the final act of the last party to visit the area from Halley Bay. In their memory the Norwegian authorities re-named the nunataks Mannefallknausane.’
‘Dai’ Wild’s posthumous award of the Polar Medal was announced in the London Gazette for 25 July 1967, one of three awarded with the clasp inscribed ‘Antarctic 1964-65’. The two other British Antarctic Survey men who were killed in the crevasse, namely Jeremy Thomas Bailey and Dr John Kershaw Wilson, received the medal posthumously with the clasp ‘Antarctic 1965’. All three men was decorated in the same London Gazette.
In 1966 Swansea University, in conjunction with Dai Wild’s parents, set up an award to be known as the David Wild Prize, to be awarded annually to an Honours student in Geography who has submitted an outstanding dissertation.
