Life at the Whaling

Life at the whaling was characterised by work. People were there to work hard and they took time to enjoy small breaks when the work allowed. Conditions whether on board ships or on shore were basic but comfortable enough to stay for a while! Workers were catered for by teams who worked in the mess (kitchens) and in the laundry.

In spare moments and down time the whalers had some good forms of entertainment. Read below about their sporting events, music nights, crafting activities and even their cinemas!

Although a dangerous industry, deaths and accidents were not so common. Workers were aware of how to stay safe and tried their best to maintain this given the conditions. Sadly, some accidents and deaths did occur and when they did, the effects were felt strongly by the community.

According to census records, there were never more than 12 women living on South Georgia at once. For those who were managers or who worked at King Edward Point, there was a chance to take your wife and family with you, and perhaps even a pet! Captain Carl Anton Larsen, founder of Grytviken, often had his family, and even a housekeeper staying with them, on South Georgia. In reality, most men who went to the whaling had to leave their family 8,000 miles away and it may be up to 18 months before they saw them again. 

Although it was a strange place for many women and children to get used to, life had to go on as normal. Children were homeschooled by their parents and helped to be cared for by other people from the whaling station. Unlike children growing up outside of South Georgia, children who grew up here had first hand experience of living near a whaling station. Learning about the wildlife around the area and learning to ski in the winter, it surely would have been a fascinating place to spend some formative years.

Accounts of women living on South Georgia, specifically at King Edward Point, were written about by Nan Brown (Antarctic Housewife) and Beverly McLeod (In the Shadow of Shackleton’s Cross). Nan Brown documented her life at King Edward Point in the mid-1950s, she came to South Georgia with her husband, George, a wireless operator. Her accounts are humorous and interesting, contrasting her attempts to be a “normal” housewife in South Georgia, with the incredible experience of living there. Her powerful writing highlights the highs and lows in trying to live a normal life in an irregular place. Colourfully bringing to life the characters who were living on South Georgia at the time.

The shore stations were industrial towns. Roughly 400 men lived and worked in Grytviken during the summer season, dropping down to 90 in the winter season. They all lived in close quarters in the barracks, with up to eight men in a bunk room. Working on a station for eight months or more, the men took the time to decorate their living quarters to make them as homely as possible.

At Leith Harbour, some of the jobs required that the workers live upstairs of the building they were working in, such as the hospital or laundry. It was vital that the men working in the factory had these services to care for them and to cater for them.

New accommodations were built when it was required to increase workforces. Certain accommodations also had better standards than others, with some newer or larger rooms being preferable. Unless you were high ranking, your room would have been shared with others. Subsequently, a whaler’s bunk, whether on a shore station, factory ship or whale catcher ship, was all the space he had to himself. In their bunkrooms they often had tables and chairs, a space to sit and socialise with bunkmates. Radios were also bought and could be tuned into BBC Overseas and other long distance radio stations.