Eric Norman Webb collection

Scope and Content

The collection comprises of material relating to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 (leader Douglas Mawson) and correspondence by Webb.

Administrative / Biographical History

Eric Norman Webb was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1889. Soon after graduating in civil engineering from Canterbury University and with four-month's training in magnetometry at Melbourne Observatory, he joined the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 (leader Douglas Mawson), as Chief Magnetician. He was based at Cape Denison and was a member of the party of three that sledged to near the South Magnetic Pole in 1912.

During the First World, he served with distinction in the Army and by the end of the war had attained the rank of Major. After the war, he commenced work as an engineer with British General Electric, working on hydroelectric schemes throughout the world. On his retirement in 1959, he was a senior engineer on the huge Hamilton Falls Hydro-Electric project in Newfoundland, Canada. He died on 23 January 1984, the last survivor of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.

Arrangement

The collection is split into two sub-fonds comprising of expedition material and correspondence respectively.

Access Information

By appointment.

Some materials deposited at the Institute are NOT owned by the Institute. In such cases the archivist will advise about any requirements imposed by the owner. These may include seeking permission to read, extended closure, or other specific conditions.

Note

Anyone wishing to consult material should ensure they note the entire MS reference and the name of the originator.

The term holograph is used when the item is wholly in the handwriting of the author. The term autograph is used when the author has signed the item.

Descriptions compiled by N. Boneham, Assistant Archivist with assistance from R. Stancombe and reference to ANARE News (February 1984) number 34 and Encyclopaedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans ed. Bernard Stonehouse, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester (2002) ISBN 0471986658 SPRI Library (7) and Robert Keith Headland Antarctic Chronology, unpublished corrected revision of Chronological list of Antarctic expeditions and related historical events, (1 December 2001) Cambridge University Press (1989) ISBN 0521309034

Other Finding Aids

Clive Holland Manuscripts in the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England - a catalogue, Garland Publishing New York and London (1982) ISBN 0824093941.

Additional finding aids are available at the Institute.

Conditions Governing Use

Copying material by photography, electrostat, or scanning device by readers is prohibited. The Institute may be able to provide copies of some documents on request for lodgement in publicly available repositories. This is subject to conservation requirements, copyright law, and payment of fees.

Copyright restrictions apply to most material. The copyright may lie outside the Institute and, if so, it is necessary for the reader to seek appropriate permission to consult, copy, or publish any such material. (The Institute does not seek this permission on behalf of readers). Written permission to publish material subject to the Institute's copyright must be obtained from the Director. Details of conditions and fees may be had from the Archivist.

Accruals

Further accessions possible.