Interviews done by Matthew Leonard in 2002 for Antarctica NZ and Radio New Zealand on the experiences of New Zealanders on the ice.
John Claydon’s parents were from London originally arriving in Christchurch to settle in 1915. Travelling worldwide his father worked for Reeves and Sons as an overseas representative for material manufacturers. John and his three brothers grew up in Sumner spending their time in the surf and roaming the Port Hills.
His father’s interest in the outdoors took them to Arthur’s Pass and Mount Cook where they met the infamous Swiss guide, Oscar Coburger. They enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, shooting and read a lot of adventure stories including those of the Antarctic. Growing up John was aware that Lyttelton was a staging post for the Antarctic.
After attending Christchurch Technical College he and his brother joined the territorials 1934. In 1936 he applied to join the Royal Air Force training in Roturua, Harewood and Wigram and serving at Wigram and Hobsonville working on aircraft engines. Flying came quite naturally and though he aspired to become a fighter pilot the military had other plans for him and requested he become a training instructor.
John was in 14 Fighter Squadron and describes his experiences in the Pacific during war time. In 1944 he was posted to Dunedin where he met and married his wife, Nola. Three months after getting married in February 1947 he was posted to Japan as a flight commander. During this time John gained a different outlook on the Japanese, different from the people he had perceived he fought. On return to Christchurch he was responsible for getting the Christchurch Territorial squadron together, then promoted to squadron leader and based in Wellington. In 1954 he was assigned to Wigram and in June 1955 saw the notice regarding the Transantarctic Expedition. He applied to support the Transantarctic team which was accepted, he thinks primarily because of his flying experience and secondly his interest of the outdoors.
Whilst Hillary had been chosen to lead the New Zealand party the remaining team were unconfirmed. John however was accepted and requested to fly to London to join the British contingent where he flew with the RAF and helped set up the details and stores for the expedition. After leaving London in November 1955, the team picked up Bob Miller and Ed Hillary in Montevideo. They stopped again in South Georgia to practice flying but were forced to stay on after the under carriage leg of a plane broke which enabled them time to take in the whaling station activities, walk and visit Shakelton’s grave.
Gordon Haslop (British pilot) had done an explosive course which he put to good use breaking up the ice as the ship made its way south with difficulty. There was very real danger of the ship becoming crushed under the ice’s pressure which was also being affected by the wind and tidal movements. John says the ice pack was not considered that thick at 4-6 feet but it would ride up peeling like a wave and one could hear the disturbing movement of rivets and bolts in the ships structure. Bunny Fuchs asked him if it were possible to fly ahead, in order to assist their passage out of the ice. John got rigged up, made a risky take off and plotted his way, passing the headings over the radio for 3 hours and 20 minutes which eventually got the ship clear.
Once in the Antarctic the primary job of the advanced party was to use aircraft to survey depot sites and land routes. They called into the International Geo-Physical Year (IDGY) base to investigate a route which turned out wasn’t possible, before heading further south to McMurdo Sounds. After the reconnoitre and unloading of gear for Scott base, the Captain became anxious to leave because the sea was freezing up. After a narrow escape out of the ice pack they returned north to South Georgia, Montevideo and then London where John booked himself on a Hastings aircraft which took him back to NZ.
By the time the British Advanced Party returned to London, fund raising was well under way in New Zealand. Ed and he were involved in lecturing in all the main centres which were very well attended. Interest had been generated in New Zealand harking back to Shakelton’s expedition. Sponsors included BP who contributed all fuel requirements, Cadburys who supplied the chocolate, Arthur Ellis and Co. (Murray Ellis’ family business) provided the fairy down sleeping bags and generally there was a wonderful dominion wide response. Schools would sponsor a dog, who were named after them, children in Masterton reared and sold guinea pigs and tadpoles as a fund raiser.
Once the expedition members had been selected there was a preliminary expedition set-up at Mount Cook. All tents and gear were flown in to the Tasman Glacier where everyone assembled and for two months acclimatised to the conditions and trained in sledge and dog handling. John says it was the only expedition in the early days where the team actually got to trial the polar experience, something the British side didn’t get to do.
The expedition set off from Wellington in HMNZS Endeavour (a vessel previously used in the Falkland Islands, purchased and renamed by the government) on 20th December 1956. The ship called into the port of Lyttelton and the expedition visited Christchurch where a wreath was laid at Scott’s statue and farewell service was held in Christchurch Cathedral. The Duke of Edinburgh who was visiting New Zealand at the time inspected the ship and invited the expedition party to attend a dinner aboard his own vessel, the Brittania. John says following the dinner (which was rather good) the captain must’ve forgotten he had an Auster float plane located on the stern of the ship as he crushed the wing of the plane swinging the ship around to depart.
The original plan was to set up a base near the mouth of the Ferrar Glacier adjacent to a place called Butter Point however it became apparent that the Ferrar was bottomless and impossible for dog teams or vehicles. As part of the advanced party team, Bernie Gunn had noted that the Skelton Glacier supplied a suitable route to the plateau and so Scott base was established further south in McMurdo Sound.
The Ministry of Works had designed the kit like structure of huts and the army team set it up. By 20th January 1957 an official flag was raised and the base was opened (along with post office) with the U.S. Admiral Dufek in attendance. The base was designed to accommodate 22 men, 17 T.A.E.s and 5 I.G.Y. blokes attached to them. However Ed wanted New Zealand mountaineer Murray Douglas who had arrived as part of the summer party to stay on and so sabotaged his departure by sending him off on a field trip at the time of the ship’s departure. In order to accommodate the extra body Ed created an extra bunk in the office inside the mess hut.
After completion of Scott base, supplies were flown onto the Skelton Glacier and Polar Plateau depots. Ed took both the Huskie dog teams and Ferguson tractors as he headed for the South Pole laying depots for the final crossing by Dr Vivian Fuchs.