Bone fragments found on King George Island have been identified as Dennis “Tink” Bell, a British meteorologist who fell into a crevasse in 1959
By Matthew Sparkes
11 August 2025
Dennis “Tink” Bell (far right) during Christmas celebrations at Admiralty Bay Station in 1958
D. Bell; Archives ref: AD6/19/X/20/18
The remains of a meteorologist who fell to his death on an Antarctic glacier 66 years ago have been found and brought back to the UK.
At 25 years old, Dennis “Tink” Bell was on a two-year stint in the Antarctic for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, the predecessor of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), in July 1959. He was trekking in a two-person team across a glacier on King George Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula, when disaster struck.
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Bell fell down a crevasse, but survived, and was able to call out to his colleague for help. When a rope was lowered, he tied it to his belt and was almost pulled to safety when the belt snapped, sending him plummeting once again. This time, he didn’t call out.
His colleague managed to make it back to base, albeit with frostbitten hands, but weather conditions made any further rescue attempts too dangerous.
Ieuan Hopkins at BAS says working in the Antarctic in the 1950s and 60s was extremely dangerous and, sadly, deaths weren’t uncommon. Bodies of other BAS staff remain lost to this day.