Person

Bernacchi, Louis Charles (1876 - 1942)

OBE FRGS

Born
8 November 1876
Belgium
Died
24 April 1942
Paddington, London, England
Occupation
Physicist and Antarctic explorer

Summary

Louis Bernacchi, having become interested in Antarctica while studying terrestrial magnetism and astronomy at the Melbourne Observatory from 1895 to 1897, was in 1898 appointed physicist and astronomer to the British Antarctic Expedition (Southern Cross Expedition) under the leadership of Carl Borchgrevink. The landing party was the first to overwinter on the Antarctic continent, and reached further south than any previous expedition. His vivid account of the Expedition was published in 1901. In that year he joined the British National Antarctic Expedition (Discovery expedition) under Robert Scott. Bernacchi was physicist to the Expedition, primarily concerned with magnetic observations. He was also the only person on Discovery with any Antarctic experience, and the first Australian to work in Antarctica. Over the years he published a number of books and papers on scientific results of polar expeditions, and on terrestial magnetism, meteorology, seismology, and gravity. His attempts to mount his own expedition failed because of the difficulty of raising funds. Bernacchi's later career included exploring in Africa and Peru, and as a rubber planter in Malaya. He was heavily involved in the Royal Geographical Society, serving on council for several years. Geographic features in Antarctic named after Bernacchi include Cape Bernacchi and Bernacchi Bay, both in Victoria Land.

Details

Burial Memorial at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey, England.

Commemorated by a bronze statue and plaque "Self Portrait Louis and Joe" on the foreshore at Sullivans Cove, Hobart Tasmania.

Chronology

1888
Life event - Migrated to Tasmania with his family
1889 - 1891
Education - Attended Hutchins School, Hobart
1895 - 1897
Career position - Assistant, Melbourne Observatory
1898 - 1900
Career position - Astronomer and physicist, British Antarctic Expedition [II]
1901 - 1904
Career position - Physicist, British National Antarctic Expedition
1901 - 1942
Award - Fellow, Royal Geographical Society
1904
Award - Polar Medal
1905 - 1906
Career event - Exploring in Africa and Peru
1906
Award - French Cross of the Légion d'honneur
1906
Award - King's Antarctic Medal
1906
Award - Royal Geographical Society Medal
1907 - 1914
Career event - Rubber planter in Malaya
1914 - 1919
Career event - Served successively as Lieutenant Commander, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; anti-submarine division, Naval Staff, Admiralty; and United States Navy
1919
Award - United States Navy Cross
1919
Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military)
1928 - 1932
Career position - Member of Council, Royal Geographical Society
1930
Career event - Organised the British Polar Exhibition
1931 - 1932
Career position - Member, organising committee, 2nd International Polar Year
1932
Career position - President, Antarctic Club
1939 - 1942
Career position - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, working on the organisation of 'Q' ships

Related Corporate Bodies

Related Events

Published resources

Books

  • Bernacchi, L., To the South Polar regions: expedition of 1898 - 1900 (London: Hurst and Blackett, 1901), 348 pp. Details
  • Bernacchi, L. C., Saga of the "Discovery" (London, Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1938), 240 pp. Details
  • Crawford, Janet, That First Antarctic Winter: the Story of the Southern Cross Expedition of 1898-1900 as Told in the Diaries of Louis Charles Bernacchi (Christchurch, NZ: Southern Latitude Research in association with Peter J. Skellerup, 1998), 270 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Swan, R. A., 'Bernacchi, Louis Charles (1876-1942), scientist and Antarctic explorer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 275-276. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070278b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

  • Atkin, Andrew, 'Louis Bernacchi, a pioneer Antarctic scientist', Antarctic: Magazine of the New Zealand Antarctic Society, 28 (3/4) (2010), 64-8. Details
  • Atkin, Andrew, 'Louis Charles Bernacchi, Pioneer Antarctic Scientist and Explorer', Records of the Canterbury Museum, 25 (2011), 1-11. Details
  • Bernacchi, L.. C., 'Antarctic exploration, past and present', Geography, 20 (3) (1935), 176-90. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40561484. Details
  • Bernacchi. L., 'Topography of South Victoria Land (Antarctic)', Geographical journal, 17 (5) (1901), 478-92. https://doi.org/10.2307/1775830. Details
  • Swan, R. A., 'The First Australian Scientist to Work and Winter on the Antarctic Continent', Victorian Historical Magazine, 33 (1963), 379-398. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

  • Federation and Meteorology, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/index_b.html. Details
  • Chester, Jonathan, Going to extremes: Project Blizzard and Australia's Antarctic heritage (Sydney: Auckland: Doubleday Australia, 1986), 308 pp. Details
  • Mawer, Granville Allen, South by Northwest: the Magnetic Crusade and the Contest for Antarctica (Kent Town: Wakefield Press, 2006), 319 pp. Details

Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn

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