ANTARCTIC TRADE CARDS - Originally Series 1
The Crossing of Antarctica.
108. THE CROSSING OF ANTARCTICA. Issued by Typhoo Tea Ltd. (Date?). Card number 19 from a set of 24 entitled "100 Years of Great British Achievements. Size: Ca. 9" x 4"?.
Recto: Sno-cat in Antarctic setting. Text to the right: 100 Year of | Great British | Achievements | No. 19 A series of 24 | The crossing of Antarctica. | In November 1957 the British part of the Commonwealth Transantarctic Expedition set out from the Weddell Sea to cross the continent via the South Pole. Led by Sir Vivian Fuchs, it was mainly equipped with the powerful Sno-cats capable of pulling two 2-1/2-ton sledge loads. The party soon experienced all the hazards of Antarctic travel: blizzards, extreme cold, crevasses and terrible surfaces which cauised frequent mechanical breakdowns. Meanwhile, from the Ross Sea on the opposiute side of the continent, a New Zealand party under Sir Edmund Hillary, established supply depots en route to the Pole for the use of the British party on the final stages of their journey. After a short say at the American South Polar Base, Fuchs pressed on. Five weeks later the party drove triumphantly into Scott Base on the Ross Sea. On one of the longest polar journeys ever, they had covered 2,158 miles in 99 days. | With the compliments of Typhoo Tea Ltd. Birmingham 5
Verso: Unknown.
Note: Image courtesy of Aubrey Halpern, UK.