Harry Dickason (Royal Navy sailor)
Harry Dickason | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 December 1884 Clifton, Bristol, England |
| Died | 3 December 1943 (aged 58) Battersea, London, England |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Wars | World War I Russian Civil War |
| Awards |
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Harry Dickason (16 December 1884 – 3 December 1943) was an English Royal Navy sailor and Antarctic explorer. He was a member of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–1913, serving with the Northern Party under Victor Campbell.[4] After the expedition he continued his naval career, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal in 1915 and a bar to the medal in 1919.[2][3] Mount Dickason in Victoria Land, Antarctica, was named for him.[5]
Terra Nova Expedition
Dickason served as an able seaman in Campbell's party on the Terra Nova expedition. After the expedition's encounter with Roald Amundsen in the Bay of Whales, Campbell's intended "Eastern Party" was redirected and became the Northern Party.[6] The six-man party wintered first in a hut at Cape Adare and then, after Terra Nova was unable to retrieve them because of heavy pack ice, spent a second winter in an ice cave on Inexpressible Island.[6]
In an obituary written by Raymond Priestley, Dickason was remembered as one of the Northern Party's three long-service naval seamen. Priestley wrote that during the winter of 1912 Dickason was the party's chief cook, and praised his "efficiency and unvarying cheerfulness" during the months spent in the snow cave.[4]
The Northern Party reached Cape Evans again on 7 November 1912.[6] Dickason also took part in a 1912 ascent of Mount Erebus with Raymond Priestley, Tryggve Gran, Frederick Hooper, George Abbott and Frank Debenham.[7]
Later naval career
Dickason remained in the Royal Navy after returning from Antarctica. He received the Polar Medal with clasp in 1913 for his service in the British Antarctic Expedition.[1] In November 1915 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal as Petty Officer Harry Dickason, official number 209527.[2] In November 1919 he received a bar to the Distinguished Service Medal for services in the Caspian Sea during the Russian Civil War.[3]
Legacy
Mount Dickason, at the head of the Boomerang Glacier in Victoria Land, was named for Dickason by Campbell's Northern Party.[5] Papers relating to his expedition service are held in the Harry Dickason collection at the Scott Polar Research Institute.[8] His journals were later published as Penguins and Primus: An Account of the Northern Expedition June 1910 – February 1913.[9]
References
- ^ a b "No. 28740" (PDF). The London Gazette (28740): 5322–5323. 25 July 1913.
- ^ a b c "The Edinburgh Gazette, 23 November 1915" (PDF). The Edinburgh Gazette (12875): 1784. 23 November 1915.
- ^ a b c "Supplement to The London Gazette, 11 November 1919" (PDF). The London Gazette (31638): 13747. 11 November 1919.
- ^ a b "Obituaries" (PDF). Polar Record: 195–196. 1944. doi:10.1017/S0032247400041826.
- ^ a b "Mount Dickason". Australian Antarctic Data Centre. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "The Northern Party standing in front of a laden sledge outside the hut at Cape Evans". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "Heroic Age campsite location discovered near summit of Antarctic volcano". University of Cambridge. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "Harry Dickason collection". Archives Hub. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "Penguins and primus : an account of the Northern Expedition June 1910 - February 1913 / Harry Dickason". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 March 2026.