South Georgia's
Graveyards
| A
graveyard for whalers and sealers who lost their
lives in their profession lies close by the whaling
stations. The cemeteries have been carefully restored
and continue to be maintained by the Marine Officer
and his wife and by the Museum Curators. |
 |
Grytviken Cemetery: Sir Ernest
Shackleton, the famous Antarctic explorer, lies buried
in the small Grytviken Cemetery. A sealer's grave
lies close by with a wooden marker inscribed "In
memory of W.H.Dyre, Surgeon of the Esther of London.
Jas Carrick, Master. July 1846". Four of the
nine unmarked graves in the cemetery are said to be
of the Esther's crew who reportedly all four died
of typhus. Graves of sealers lost during Otto Nordenskjold's
Swedish Expedition of 1902 are also there. A magistrate,
William Barlas is buried in the cemetery having died
on 2 September 1941, from an avalanche that knocked
him into the sea between King Edward Point and the
whaling station at Grytviken. The Argentine Petty
Officer, Felix Artuso, killed on the submarine Santa
Fe in 1982, also lies in the little cemetery
Memorial Crosses: Three memorial
crosses stand overlooking in King Edward Cove. Sir
Ernest Shackleton's memorial cross stands at Hope
Point above King Edward Point. A facsimile of the
document signed by his expedition team rests in a
small tube at the base of the stone mount. Above the
cemetery stand two crosses; one is for the wireless
operator of the 1911 German scientific expedition
who went missing in a small boat in Cumberland Bay.
The second, and most recent, cross is for men lost
on the fishing vessel Suder Havid in 1998. A stand
of three crosses at Hope Point commemorates the servicemen
who have lost their lives on South Georgia since 1982.
|
|
Prince
Olaf Harbour: Iron crosses stand proud on a little
ridge above the crumbling whaling station overlooking
the wreck of the three-masted iron-hulled coaling
hulk "Brutus". A perforated copper plate
mounted on a wooden headboard records the grave
of, John Anderson, mate of the sealer Mary Jane,
died on 23 November 1838. The inscription reads:
"John Anderson Mate of Schr Mary Jane of
N York Capt Joseph E Parsons Died Nov 23rd AD
1838 in this port on board the Brig Medina of
N York Capt Elijah Hallett aged 36 Years An honest
man." |
Leith Whaling Station: Two cemeteries
at Leith Whaling Station contain those who lost their
lives either at sea or in the whaling station. Many
of the graves are Norwegian whalers. The graveyard
in the centre of the station has simple white wooden
crosses to mark the graves of unknown whalers. The
cemetery behind the football field is more recent
with iron and cement grave head markers that record
those buried there.
Stromness Whaling Station:
The graveyard stands behind the station close to the
Managers Villa. The substantial headstones, guarded
by simple ship's chain, record those whalers who lost
their lives while operating at Stromness.
|
