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News Story - Monument in memory of Britons lost in Antarctica unveiled

Date: 13 May 2011

A memorial monument dedicated to Britons who lost their lives in the service of science in Antarctica was unveiled in Cambridge on 12 May 2011.

Oak memorial at the Scott Polar Research Institute. From left to right: Professor Nicholas Owens (Director of British Antarctic Survey), Roderick Rhys Jones (Chairman of The British Antarctic Monument Trust), Oliver Barratt (artist who designed the monument), Professor Julian Dowdeswell (Director of The Scott Polar Research Institute). (Image: BAS)
Oak memorial at the Scott Polar Research Institute. From left to right: Professor Nicholas Owens (Director of British Antarctic Survey), Roderick Rhys Jones (Chairman of The British Antarctic Monument Trust), Oliver Barratt (artist who designed the monument), Professor Julian Dowdeswell (Director of The Scott Polar Research Institute). (Image: BAS)
The monument – an arc over three metres high and carved from British oak, designed by sculptor Oliver Barratt – was installed in the gardens of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) in Cambridge. At the base of the monument, there is the following inscription: "For those who lost their lives in Antarctica in pursuit of science to benefit us all".

Over 100 friends and family of those ‘who did not return’ attended the unveiling, which included a talk by SPRI Director Professor Julian Dowdeswell.

This is the first of two sculptures commissioned by The British Antarctic Monument Trust. Fundraising continues for the second sculpture - a three-metre high needle of stainless steel – to be erected in Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands and gateway to Antarctica for most British scientists and support staff. Donations can be made at www.antarctic-monument.org.