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4w ago

Remains of British Meteorologist Found in Glacier Identified as Dennis ‘Tink’ Bell

A multidisciplinary recovery mission transported bone fragments alongside personal effects to the UK for DNA confirmation with family repatriation under coroner supervision

Undated handout photo issued by British Antarctic Survey of Dennis Bell (right) christmas festivities with colleagues from Admiralty Bay Station, c.1958.
Undated handout photo issued by British Antarctic Survey of Dennis Bell (left) with his fellow colleagues and the dogs that helped them to work in Antarctica - Midwinter 1959 at Admiralty Bay Base.
Undated handout photo issued by British Antarctic Survey of Admiralty Bay Base on King George Island in 1951 where Dennis Bell was working.
Undated handout photo issued by British Antarctic Survey of the area at the front of the Ecology Glacier where the remains of Dennis Bell was found in loose rocks.

Overview

  • Polish researchers at Henryk Arctowski Station discovered bone fragments and over 200 personal items exposed by the Ecology Glacier on January 19, 2025.
  • A February archaeological survey led by Polish scientists retrieved additional remains and catalogued artifacts including a radio, wristwatch and ski poles.
  • BAS’s RRS Sir David Attenborough carried the recovered materials to Stanley before an RAF-escorted flight delivered them to London under coroner oversight.
  • Forensic genetics at King’s College London matched the DNA from the fragments to Bell’s brother and sister with more than a billion-to-one certainty.
  • British Antarctic Survey and partner organisations say the operation highlights how glacier retreat can reveal historic human traces and underscores the need for international scientific coordination.