William Barlas

William Barlas (born May 8, 1888 in Matlock , Derbyshire , † September 2, 1941 near Grytviken , South Georgia ) was a British diplomat who, as the representative of the United Kingdom, represented British territorial interests in the South Shetland Islands and later in South Georgia.

Life

Barlas was born the son of the Scottish gardener William Barlas and his wife Betsy. He completed his schooling in Scotland , mainly in Pitlochry , where he also married his wife Christina Scott Robertson.

In February 1908 he emigrated to the Falkland Islands as a traveling teacher , where he became head of the state school in Stanley in 1913 . In addition, he held the post of postmaster on the South Shetland Islands between 1914 and 1915 and worked as the British representative on Deception Island . Between 1920 and 1921 he took part in the Antarctic voyage of the whaler Teie . From 1928 to 1941 he worked several times as a British administrator on South Georgia and supported the British Graham Land Expedition (1934-1937) under the direction of the Australian polar explorer John Rymill .

Barlas was killed on September 2, 1941 on South Georgia by an avalanche that broke up between King Edward Point and the whaling station in Grytviken. He is buried in Grytviken in the same cemetery as the British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton . The Barlas Canal , Barlas Bank and Cape Barlas are named in his honor .

literature

John Stewart: Antarctica - An Encyclopedia . Vol. 1, McFarland & Co., Jefferson and London 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-3590-6 , p. 119 (English).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Barlas, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Barlas, William Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH	May 8, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH	Matlock , Derbyshire
DATE OF DEATH	September 2, 1941
Place of death	Grytviken , South Georgia