From Pole to Pole: the Life or Quintin Riley 1905-1980: 3 (The Yachtsman Volunteers) - Softcover

Riley, Jonathon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1899262504 ISBN 13: 9781899262502

Publisher: Golden Duck (UK) Ltd, 2022

Synopsis

When Quintin Riley joined the British Graham Land Expedition in 1934, he didn’t describe himself as ‘meteorologist’ or ‘quartermaster’ but as a ‘gentleman’. He was one of the generation of inter-war adventurers inspired by the charismatic Gino Watkins. He was also one of very few people to be awarded both the Arctic and Antarctic Medals In 1930 Riley and his companions had arrived in Greenland wearing sports jackets, ties and 'Oxford bags' to investigate the harsh terrain of the ice cap for the British Arctic Air Route. Their bonds of friendship survived their leader’s death and were manifest throughout their varied service in WW2. As a member of the important British Graham Land Expedition 1934-1937, Riley used his own motorboat Stella Polaris to tow the expedition’s plane. When they returned home, he joined the RNVSR. From there he did his best to bring efficient organisation, nutrition (and ideally hot baths) into various forms of irregular warfare, including the 1940 Norway campaign, the abortive Arctic Commando and the highly successful intelligence unit, Ian Fleming’s brainchild, 30AU. This meticulously researched biography, of interest to military and polar historians is the work of his cousin, General Jonathan Riley

Edition details

• Publisher: Golden Duck (UK) Ltd
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1899262504
• ISBN 13: 9781899262502
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360