The remains of British meteorologist Dennis Bell, lost in Antarctica for more than six decades, have been recovered as melting ice on King George Island exposed the site of his fatal fall.
Bell, aged 25 at the time, disappeared on July 26, 1959 while climbing the Ecology Glacier with a colleague during a survey mission for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, the forerunner of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
According to historical accounts, Bell fell around 30 metres into a crevasse while walking ahead of a dog team.
His companion, surveyor Jeff Stokes, managed to make contact and attempted a rescue, but the rope broke during the lift, and Bell fell deeper into the ice.
Poor weather forced rescuers to abandon the search, and his body was never found.
In January 2025, a Polish research team from the Henryk Arctowski Station discovered bone fragments and personal belongings—including a watch, knife, radio parts, and ski poles—among rocks exposed by the glacier’s retreat.
The remains were formally recovered in February after a detailed archaeological survey.
DNA testing confirmed Bell’s identity through matches with his surviving siblings, David Bell and Valerie Kelly. The discovery has provided closure to the family, who expressed gratitude to both British and Polish teams involved.
BAS Director Dame Jane Francis described the find as a poignant reminder of the personal risks faced by early polar scientists.
Bell’s remains were transported aboard the BAS research ship Sir David Attenborough to the Falkland Islands, then returned to the UK via the Coroner for British Antarctic Territory.
Bell, nicknamed “Tink,” had joined the Antarctic mission in 1958 after serving in the Royal Air Force, seeking adventure and contributing to early polar research under extreme conditions.