A Long Way From home

Letters were not often delivered to South Georgia, only around three or four times in a season. This was dependent on supply ships and tankers that serviced the island and the factory ships. Mail not only arrived on these ships but was taken to be posted in other ports by them. Once on the island, mail was sorted at King Edward Point. Sometimes it would be taken by foot over peninsulas or in small boats between stations.

When whalers sent letters home to loved ones, they sometimes included photographs of themselves. Not many people had a camera, so you had to barter with someone who did to have some pictures taken and get them developed. Often this would be with a packet of cigarettes, or if they did not smoke, then they would barter with more film.

Although the whalers are often remembered as ‘being rich’ the starting point was not all that much more than what you earned at home. The benefit at the whaling, was that there was not much to spend it on. The ‘slop chest’ was not open all the time and was limited in what it provided the station. Bonuses, if it was a good catching season, also added to the final pay – gratefully received by the whalers.

When you paid off in your British port you were paid an advance sum. This sum was followed by the other payments of wages, bonuses and so on which was calculated after the season was over. The final payment had to be collected from a bank. In Shetland, this could only be collected at the bank in Lerwick. A big day out for many people who stayed far away from the main town!

Due to the advance sum many of the whalers chose to buy cars or motorbikes, pay deposits for houses or even start businesses with the money they had saved during the whaling season. For some families this meant they could buy new household items that was essential for living, like a new Raeburn stove or install a gas burner.

From descriptions by people who were not at the whaling, those who were away were often described as standing out. They were well-dressed, indulging in well-tailored jackets and having their hair cut into the latest style. Complete with their nice cars or motorbikes bought with whaling funds. For the whalers it would have been exciting to get new clothes – after wearing the same things for at least six months!

Absent fathers and husbands who were desperate for work and had to make the incredibly difficult decision to leave home for South Georgia were a symptom of the whaling industry.

Women and children were left at home in many communities as men, sometimes even fathers and sons from the same family, were away at the whaling. Women and families were not allowed to live or travel to South Georgia to be with the men at work. Unless their husband was one of the managers of a whaling station or worked in a higher managerial post, such as radio operator or policeman. Even then there were very few women who were on the island at one time.

There was great cause for celebration when the whalers returned home. Often there were dances held in their honour and families felt great excitement about being reunited with their fathers and sons. For some small children, it would be a change from the usual routine, as unknown men, their fathers, re-entered the domestic space.

The dances for the whalers were held during May-time and often this was a place where men and women who went on to be married would meet. Younger men who did not go to the whaling recall feeling deflated about their chances with the ladies with the excitement of the whalers return!

Gifts were a good way to make up for being away for such a long time. Many families recall feeling excited about what would be brought to them from foreign ports. Vestfold Museums in Norway, have a large collection of dolls which have been donated by whalers’ daughters – brought home from ports around the Atlantic.

Whalers were very creative and when time allowed, especially if they had overwintered, they would make ornaments and gifts to take home to family. This would often be made with materials from the island, such as scrap metal or wood, they would even bring back Sperm whale teeth, whale ear drums (bullae) and sometimes baleen. Teeth and ear drums could be carved or painted to create something interesting to sit on the mantlepiece.

Commonly, returning meant that you got started on whatever work had to be done around the home. If you used peat fuel this would involve the cutting and curing process. On crofts and small farms, families would be sowing new crops and animals would have to be tended to. Or jobs around the home would have to be done over the summer, perhaps a lick of paint or a new roof. Some may even have done another job during the summer to earn some extra cash.