Norman Nelson was in the British National Service when he was transferred to a FIDS expedition to the Falklands and the Antarctic Peninsula in 1958. Raymond Priestley introduced him to the prospect of following up on Edward Wilson’s penguin studies of 1911. His experience was similar.
p. 40: One of the other very fine parts of this hut was the lounge which had been lovingly constructed by George Lush and his mates during the winter of the first year. There was a bar at one end and a library at the other. The first tthing George did when he arrived was to take down the book at the right-hand corner—volume one of Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. “Just as I thought,” he said. It has not been moved since I put it there three years ago!
p. 55: The evenings spent indoors were becoming longer. As outside activity declined so did our appetites, and we began to have some trouble sleeping. Aside from photography, there was not much to do in the evenings. The advent of the personal computer has made an enormous contribution to the well-being of personnel during Antarctic winters, but they were not available until many years later. One blessing was that we had a record player which David Lambert brought down and made generally available. My favourite at that time was Beethoven’s sixth symphony…. The other disc that was very popular with me was a record of, The Importance of Being Ernest, with Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell.