At the time of the invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940 the Norwegian meteorological station at Jamesonbukta, which had been established in 1921, was manned by four men. Work went on as usual and transmissions in international code continued.

Until about thirteen years ago managers of Hudson's Bay Company posts in northern Canada chose from their trading stocks whatever foods they required for their families and staffs. In many instances their choice did not provide well-balanced meals. The Company had at that time become concerned about the frequency of illness at northern posts. This occasionally necessitated special mercy flights to bring patients south for medical care. In 1939, therefore, the Company consulted the late Dr F. F. Tisdall, who invited three of his colleagues, Dr T. G. H. Drake, Dr J. H. Ebbs and Dr E. C. Robertson, to assist him in the task of improving nutrition at northern posts. S. H. Jackson later joined the group.

In 1946 the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey station on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands was completely destroyed by fire. Stores, valuable equipment and the records of many months' work were lost. In 1948 the station at Hope Bay in Trinity Peninsula was burnt down, with the loss of two lives. In January 1952 the hut of the French Antarctic Expedition at Port-Martin in Terre Adélie was destroyed in the same way. Smaller outbreaks of fire, fortunately detected early and dealt with promptly, have been reported from other stations. Of all the difficulties which can overtake a polar expedition, the loss of its base is perhaps the most disastrous. Nevertheless, the frequency with which such losses seem to occur suggests that there are fundamental errors in the design of the huts, as well as a tendency to underestimate the danger of fire.

South Georgia, one of the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands, lies in the South Atlantic Ocean between lats. 53° 50′ and 55° S. and longs. 35° 50′ and 38°15' W. The island is about 120 miles long from north-west to south-east and its greatest breadth is under thirty miles: it is heavily glacierized with an indented coastline and a backbone of high mountains rising to over 9000 ft.

On 27 February 1947 P.-É. Victor, head of Expéditions Polaires Francaises obtained the agreement of the French Government for the organization of two scientific expeditions, one to Greenland and one to Terre Adélie. Preparations for the French Antarctic Expedition began at once. One of the greatest difficulties which had to be solved was the fact that France had had no polar vessel since the loss of the Pourquoi Pas? in 1936. Eventually, however, Expéditions Polaires FranÇaises bought at San Francisco the Atiette (ex-Lancewood), a wooden vessel built in 1943 as U.S. Navy net-layer AN-48. This vessel, a sister ship of the John Biscoe and Port of Beaumont, Texas, was brought to France and adapted for polar navigation, the hull being strengthened at the stem and stern. The vessel was then renamed the Commandant Charcot, and the French Navy agreed to commission her and carry the expedition to and from Terre Adélie. Engine trouble delayed the departure originally planned for September 1949, and the vessel did not leave Brest until 26 November that year.

The Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition was equipped with three amphibious Weasels (Light Cargo Carrier M29C, manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation) supplied by the British Army. Their performance was excellent, and few repairs were necessary. They had a bad start, however., by being immersed in sea water during the outward voyage. For at least a month the hulls and engine compartments were flooded, the water-level being above the oil filler gauge. The resulting corrosion was extensive and serious. The electrical system of each machine was put out of order, and most linkages and levers were rusted together. When this damage had been rectified, most subsequent repairs and replacements became necessary only as a result of fair wear and tear.

Two designs of Nansen-type dog sledge were used by the expedition: a Norwegian design, supplied by A/S Kolbjorn Knutsen and Co. (see Fig. I), and a British design supplied by Airwork General Trading Co. Ltd. After certain modifications and additions, the Norwegian sledge (S.P.R.I. No. 52/11/1) proved much superior to the British sledge.