[…] While scanning the hills with the glasses noticed a beacon near the coast. I decided that it could not have been there yesterday or Billy would have surely seen it, for he hunted in that direction. I hurried towards it with no little excitement and discovered on top of the sods a short note in Stefansson’s handwriting. I could hardly persuade myself that the party were all safe and not far away, but the note, which read “Make camp in bay below this hill and ¼ miles SW”, and was without date or signature, implied that all three were on land. I was quite familiar with the handwriting, and the message was written on the back of a Mannlicher cartridge box […].
That they were travelling in the direction of the schooner could be seen by the directions on the note, and I have no doubt that they have arrived home before this. I did not search long for their tracks, but hurried back to our camp […].
It would be just my luck if those people have arrived at the schooner while I am away and not able to take a picture of the excitement. I never seem to be in the right place to get the important pictures on this expedition, and goodness knows these occasions are few, and to make any success of my work I should be at them all.
George Hubert Wilkins
Photographer
Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College
As both a biologist and a filmmaker, I can truly sympathize with Wilkins’ frustration at missing Stefansson’s arrival at the Banks Island camp, after his long journey across the ice of the Beaufort Sea. Busy with his many other duties, Wilkins missed so many other events of importance during his time as Expedition photographer.
As a documentary filmmaker you are not really supposed to re-stage happenings, but when you miss them by minutes, it is tempting to shoot a re-enactment. It seems that Wilkins did try to re-shoot some of the events of the Northern Party. However most of his photography was un-rehearsed and filmed just as it happened.
David
