John Riddoch Rymill
Encyclopedia
John Riddoch Rymill was an Australian polar explorer, who had the rare second clasp added to his Polar Medal
.
. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School
, where he first developed his love of polar literature, and at the Royal Geographical Society
in London
, where he studied surveying and navigation.
Aircraft Co. Ltd, Hendon
and courses at the Scott Polar Research Institute
, Cambridge
, under Professor Frank Debenham
. In 1931 he was appointed to the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to Greenland
(1930–31) as surveyor and pilot. As a result of this, Rymill determined to mount an Antarctic expedition to South Graham Land
and the Weddell Sea
south of Cape Horn
, South America. His British Graham Land Expedition
(1934–37) discovered a southern, permanently frozen channel, later named George VI Sound
, extending to the Bellingshausen Sea
.
. They went to live at and manage the Penola Estate, where he served as a district councillor. He died on the 7 September 1968, survived by his wife and their two sons.
Polar Medal
The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.-History:...
.
Early life
Rymill was born the son of a farmer on 13 March 1905 at Penola, South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, where he first developed his love of polar literature, and at the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he studied surveying and navigation.
Polar career
Rymill prepared himself for polar exploration with alpine experience in Europe, flying lessons at the de HavillandDe Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
Aircraft Co. Ltd, Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
and courses at the Scott Polar Research Institute
Scott Polar Research Institute
The Scott Polar Research Institute is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography in the University of Cambridge, located on Lensfield Road in the south of Cambridge ....
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, under Professor Frank Debenham
Frank Debenham
Frank Debenham, OBE was Emeritus Professor of Geography at the Cambridge University and first director of the Scott Polar Research Institute.-Biography:...
. In 1931 he was appointed to the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
(1930–31) as surveyor and pilot. As a result of this, Rymill determined to mount an Antarctic expedition to South Graham Land
Graham Land
Graham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
and the Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
south of Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
, South America. His British Graham Land Expedition
British Graham Land Expedition
A British expedition to Graham Land led by John Lachlan Cope took place between 1920 and 1922. The British Graham Land Expedition was a geophysical and exploration expedition to Graham Land in Antarctica between 1934 to 1937. Under the leadership of John Riddoch Rymill, the expedition spent two...
(1934–37) discovered a southern, permanently frozen channel, later named George VI Sound
George VI Sound
George VI Sound or Canal Jorge VI or Canal Presidente Sarmiento or Canal Seaver or King George VI Sound or King George the Sixth Sound is a major bay/fault depression, 300 miles long in the shape of the letter J, which skirts the east and south shores of Alexander Island, separating it from the...
, extending to the Bellingshausen Sea
Bellingshausen Sea
The Bellingshausen Sea is an area along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, west of Alexander Island, east of Cape Flying Fish on Thurston Island, and south of Peter I Island . In the south are, from west to east, Eights Coast, Bryan Coast and English Coast of West Antarctica...
.
Honours
- the British Service Polar MedalPolar MedalThe Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.-History:...
with Arctic bar (1930–31) - Antarctic (1934–37) bars
- Founders' medal (1938) of the Royal Geographical Society
- David Livingstone Centenary MedalDavid Livingstone Centenary MedalThe David Livingstone Centenary Medal was established in March 1913 by the Hispanic Society of America. The establishment commemorates the 100th anniversary of David Livingstone’s birth...
of the American Geographical SocietyAmerican Geographical SocietyThe American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
of New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1939).'The survey work of this expedition constitutes probably the largest contribution of accurate detailed surveys of the Antarctic Continent made by an expedition'. Citation of David Livingstone Centenary Gold Medal
Family
In 1938, after completing the official account of the expedition Southern Lights, Rymill married Dr Eleanor Mary Francis, a geographer whom he had met at CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. They went to live at and manage the Penola Estate, where he served as a district councillor. He died on the 7 September 1968, survived by his wife and their two sons.