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The British Antarctic Survey announced that the remains of 25-year-old meteorologist Dennis “Tink” Bell were found 66 years after his disappearance. Although Bell’s remains were recovered in January, they were only recently formally identified.
“I had long given up on finding my brother. It is just remarkable, astonishing. I can’t get over it,” David Bell, Dennis’ brother, told BBC News. The outlet reported that David was the one to answer the door when the family received a telegraph informing them of the bad news, which he described as a “horrendous moment.”
David also told the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that he and his sister, Valerie Kelly, were “shocked and amazed” to hear their brother’s remains were found decades after his fatal accident.
Dennis Bell (left) with his fellow colleagues and the dogs that helped them to work in Antarctica. Midwinter 1959 at Admiralty Bay Base. (British Antarctic Survey)
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Samples of David and Valerie’s DNA helped Professor Denise Syndercombe Court, a forensic geneticist at King’s College London, confirm that the remains were their brother’s. The two were “more than one million times” more likely than not to be related, according to BAS.
After school, Bell joined the Royal Air Force for National Service and trained as a radio operator before joining the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) as a meteorologist in 1958.
On July 26, 1959, Bell, along with three other men and two dog sleds, set out to climb a glacier leading to an ice plateau, where they planned to conduct survey and geological work. The men separated into pairs with Bell being accompanied by surveyor Jeff Stokes, while meteorologist Ken Gibson was with geologist Colin Barton, according to the BAS. The BAS noted that Bell and Stokes went off approximately 30 minutes before Gibson and Barton.
The location where Dennis “Tink” Bell’s remains were found after 66 years. (Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station via British Antarctic Survey)
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As the dogs grew tired in the deep, soft snow, Bell tried to motivate them by running ahead to urge them on. However, according to the BAS, he did so without his skis. That’s when he fell into a crevasse, an accident that led to his death and a decades-long search for his remains.
Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered. He then lowered a rope and told Bell to tie it to himself. Tragically, Bell tied the rope to his belt and not his body, according to the BAS, citing Anthony Nelson’s book, “Of Ice and Men.” While the team tried to pull him up to safety, his belt broke, and Bell went back down into the crevasse. This time, however, Bell did not answer.
The weather worsened quickly after Bell’s fall, and while his colleagues risked their lives to save him, they were unable to do so. Gibson said that after about 12 hours they found the site and realized “there was no way he could have survived,” according to the BAS.
Dennis “Tink” Bell (far right) during Christmas on base. (D. Bell via British Antarctic Survey)
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“Dennis was one of the many brave FIDS personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions. Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research. This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science,” BAS Director Professor Dame Jane Francis said in a statement.
Bell’s remains were transported to the Falkland Islands aboard the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough. They were then handed over to His Majesty’s Coroner for the British Antarctic Territory, Malcolm Simmons, who accompanied them from Stanley in the Falkland Islands to London.