BRITISH AWARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 30 April 1928, Page 5

BRITISH AWARD.

FOR. CAPTAIN WILKINS. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH —COPY RI OUT.) (AUSTRALIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION—UNITED SERVICE.) LONDON, April 29. His Majesty lias, approved of the award to Captain Wilkins of the patrons Royal gold medal by the Leographical Society for many years of systematic polar work culminating in his recent flight. Captain G. H. Wilkins, with liis pilot, Lieutenant Eielson, landed at Point Barrow on March 19. After making preparatory flights there they left for Svalbard (Spitsbergen), but for some days anxiety was felt for them, as no wireless messages from them were received. Captain Wilkins has made two previous attempts to conquer the Arctic region. His first attempt reached its climax in May of 1926, when all was ready for the final dash over the Polar ice. With the object of finding land in the unexplored northern regions, Captain Wilkins established two bases, one at Fairbanks, and a temporary cne at Point Barrow*, Alaska. From ie latter place he intended to- fly northward in his 'plane for several hours and then to .cruise back and forth. Lieutenant Eielson was the pilot on that ocasion, and, in a Detroiter plane, he successfully took Captain Wilkins over the Ehdicott Mountains to the jumping-off place at Point Barrow. There the party became fogbound, and anxious weeks passed while they waited for suitable weather. Several short flights were made, and in one of these the engine cowling of the plane was broken. In June the attempt was abandoned. The second attempt, in May, 1927, was equally unsuccessful, although Captain Wilkins and his pilot, Alger Graham, suffered severe privations, and took grave risks in their attempts to find land in the northern wastes. Several times it was feared that they had both been lost. .

Captain Wilkins was leader of the Wilkins’ Australian and Islands expedition for the British Museum, 192320. In -the war he served in t-lie Ausi'Tilinn Flying Corps, and was official photographer to the Military History Department, and was mentioned in despatches. He navigated the Blackburn Kangaroo plane in the England to Australia flight in 1919. and was second in comand of the British expedition to the Antarctic in 1921-22, and was naturalist with the Shackleton-Rowett- expedition in 1921-22. Prior to this he iiad been a correspondent in the Balkan War, 191,2-1.3. He was born in South Australia in 1.888.