PatLurcock

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Hello, PatLurcock, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

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Title of SGSSI leader

Hello,

What's the title of the person who runs South Georgia? Our article on South Georgia calls him the "Civil Commissioner"; see Civil Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The (US) CIA World Factbook and the FCO call him the "Commissioner". Since you live on South Georgia and I am assuming you are in touch with him and his team, which is correct? I tried to send an email to the FIG in Stanley. All I got was a 'mailbox full' message back. - - Thanks, Hoshie 04:43, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Hi Hoshie, He is entitled Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Referred to formally as Your/His Excellency. Pat

Bit more info: After the Argy invasion and subsequent expulsion in 1982, the Governor of the Falkland Islands and Dependent Territories (as SGSSI was at the time) was retitled Civil Commissioner and worked in partnership with a Military Commissioner (ie head of the military in FI) until SGSSI was made a separate overseas territory of the UK in 1985, when he reverted to Governor of FI and became Commissioner for the newly declared SGSSI. Pat

Husvik

Dear Pat: I believe that Husvik was used as a summer research base in 1986-96, and the Manager's villa and possibly the pier have recently been renovated; even if uninhabited presently, perhaps it might be worth keeping Husvik in the list of population centres?

On another point, it is said that the British Antarctic Survey has maintained field huts at Sörling Valley, Elsehul, Schlieper Bay, Hound Bay, Dartmouth Point, Glacier Col, Maiviken, St Andrews Bay, Hope Point, Coral Bay, Gull Lake, Carlita Bay, Royal Bay, Hodges Glacier, Jason Harbour, Ocean Harbour, Prince Olav Harbour, Lyell Glacier, Bay of Isles and Godthul. Could you please advise which of these are presently maintained, so that we could mention that in the article? Best, Apcbg 21:02, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Reply: Huts still extant, and owned by GSGSSI, not BAS: Sörling Valley, Dartmouth Point (aka Greene Peninsula), Maiviken, St Andrews Bay, Corral Bay, Carlita Bay, Hodges Glacier (to go), Jason Harbour, Ocean Harbour, Lyell Glacier (aka Harpon Bay). The others have either fallen down, been removed, or are within whaling stations where access is not permitted. Pat 3 June 2007.

Many thanks for your response. Best, Apcbg 08:05, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Pictures

Hi. I've just been reading the South Georgia discussion page and noticed that you live there (and presumably have internet access). I quite enjoy reading about fairly remote (to the rest of the world) places but it's sometimes difficult to picture what those places are like without... pictures. Obviously the article has got a few photos but it might benefit from a few more. However, it's quite difficult to get hold of any. Are you in a position to be able to take and upload any to Wikipedia? Wiki-Ed 12:40, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

Similar request

Hi Patrick, do you have any more recent photos of Viola and Albatros? I've been unable to find any that comply with Wikipedia's licensing restrictions, but another photo or two would really add to the article.

Also, according to Ant Ridson here asbestos was removed - is this not the case?

Cheers pablo 12:58, 11 June 2011 (UTC)

Hi Pablo, It was not possible to remove the asbestos from the three wrecked ships though they did remove it from the buildings on shore. I'll have a look for a picture to put up and mug up on uploading it etc. sometime. --PatLurcock (talk) 21:16, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Taxation

Dear Pat, I have a question regarding the people who happen to live on South Georgia for more than one year. Do they pay their income tax to the HM Revenue and Customs (if Britons), or it goes to the SGSSI revenue? I see £44,000 given under an 'Income Tax' item in the SGSSI Financial Statements for 2009, is that it? Best, Apcbg (talk) 06:10, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Anyone spending more than 6 months on the island pays SG income tax at a rate of 7%, mirroring the BAT tax paid by BAS employees in Antarctica. The revenue goes to GSGSSI and not the UK. Pat.PatLurcock (talk) 16:14, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

Many thanks, albeit belatedly :-) Apcbg (talk) 04:00, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

Email

Pat

Feel free to comment on my or the article talk page, I generally request that any debate is done openly and rather shy away from email discussion.

No biggy,

WCM_email 13:23, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

New article

Just wanted to tell you that Nigel Bonner has been published and is now a blue link, in your marvelous list. Thanks for giving me a poke/prod to finish and publish. I recall your saying that you know someone who knew Nigel. If they/you can provide sources, I can do the writing, if you wish. Thanks again, for providing WP with this much-needed list of intrepid, intelligent people! Best, Tribe of Tiger ^{Let's Purrfect!} 20:24, 9 September 2021 (UTC)

Hi ToT, That is great. Nice that you found a picture too. I'll let folks know. Too old to Wiki they will probably just point out any issues to me and I can sort them out. Great piece of work. By the way, I have tracked down a load of Polar Medals, including quite a lot from the 'heroic age', that were not mentioned in the London Gazettes so some more work to be done once the rain recommences. They are in the Admiralty Dispatches in the UK National Archives, who are allowing free downloads during the pandemic, so at least there is one positive outcome! PatLurcock (talk) 09:35, 10 September 2021 (UTC)

Yes, if your older friends have some ideas/information, that would be marvelous. We have to have sources/ references for any new info, and they may have access to publications that I can't find online, or are paywalled. So pleased you have located new sources for Polar Medals...as you say, a positive outcome.

While rummaging around, I discovered two WP biographies, and blue-linked them in the list. Fred Roots & Charles Swithinbank How are you going about discovering if a person on your list has an article? Best, Tribe of Tiger ^{Let's Purrfect!} 20:30, 10 September 2021 (UTC)

I have been finding WP articles about recipients by looking at articles about the expeditions - in particular some of the older ones have detailed lists of participants. They often have links. There are also other polar interest websites such as https://coolantarctica.com and I have searched wikipedia for names that I know and think might be famous enough to have a page. Takes a while and you end up reading and learning a lot.

Someone on the Polar Medal Committee has offered me access to one of only 20 copies of the official Polar Medal Roll, the official document that lists them all. It will be a while before I can go and see it, but is an amazing score! Apparently it only exists on paper so an electronic copy is not on the menu. PatLurcock (talk) 18:07, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

Yes, I have disappeared down the WP rabbit hole, reading and (hopefully) remembering. Congratulations on access to the official paper document! Reminds me of some books and films where people are sleuthing in libraries, etc. What a marvelous opportunity!

While you are researching, our Polar Medal article is sadly lacking. If you know/find some sources, put them on the talkpage, and I will write, if you don't want to do so. Especially about the clasps, as WP tells abt people who have the most, but not why (with a decent source) they are awarded.

I will update that article sometime. Once I am satisfied I have them all, I can correct/update the numbers of medals, bronze medals, clasps, female recipients etc. as well as include some more information. Another good source of information about the people turns out to be Christies/Bonhams Auction houses. They do some pretty solid research.

The other night, I found a source leading to the history of a dinner club, (organized before WWII), for Polar Medal recipients. At first, they argued abt whether members should have a "clasp". In later decades, concern abt admitting FIDS (later BAS) members. More decades later, should we admit women (they did). Just fascinating.

Can you find anything about "the Children of the Golden Age" in polar exploring? I read this term in abstracts of The Polar Record, but don't have access to their publications. A WP friend sent me Nigel Bonner's obituary, but I can't keep asking them to email copies, if I don't know what I'm looking for, or even if I do...Best wishes, Tribe of Tiger ^{Let's Purrfect!} 04:59, 13 September 2021 (UTC)