Inside the Skottehytta there is a plaque on the wall that tells a little more than what is written on the cairn outside.

Here the idea was born to find the grave of John Kirton, 55 km northeast of the cabin.

2 years ago Eystein Markusson took pictures of the archive in Sedgewick, England.

The photos were taken the year after Kirton died, in 1959.

Here is the cairn in 1959.

Working on building the cairn in 1959.

Working on building the cairn in 1959. Kirtonryggen in background.

Kirtonryggen in background.

They placed a ski in the snow next to a loose gravel ridge, down Kirton Ridge. The ski has a plate attached, the text is not legible, but it was hardly a ski used by Kirton's team in 1958. It was prepared for the trip in 1959.

This picture is a bit special: The ski is standing there and the 1959 gang has dug a hole in the snow. Did they look for him in the snow? That means he was buried in the snow in 1958. Or did they bury him in the snow pile they dug?

Skottehytta i Petuniabukta, Billefjord.

On Nordenskiold Glacicer on the way to Skottehytta i Petuniabukta, Billefjord.

Nordenskiold Glacicer

Rudmosepynten

Even inside Skottehytta

On top of Lomonosovfonna

On top of Lomonosovfonna

On way down Milling Glacier

Tufsanne seen from Gruzdev Glacier

Tufsanne

Tufsanne

Kassiopaija Glacier seen from Gruzdev Glacier

The upper side of Kirton Ridge

Here we thought we had found the grave on the upper side of the ridge

But it turned out to be just a pile of stones

We drove down the south side of Kirton Ridge. Oslo Glacier in background.

This was the first sight of the cairn on the gravel ridge on the lower side of Kirton Ridge.

This was the first sight of the cairn on the gravel ridge on the lower side of Kirton Ridge.

We have now begun a thorough investigation around the cairn to locate the burial site.

Sounding around the cairn to locate the grave.

Gisle at the cairn

The plate on the cairn mounted in 1959. Not sure if there have been people here since 1959...

We couldn't find John Kirton himself, just the cairn. We decided to drive the long way back. Conclusion further down...

Her: Tufsanne seen from East.

Nunatak in the Tufsanne

Nunatak in the Tufsanne

Driving into the icewalls at Tufsanne nunataks

25m icewalls at Tufsanne nunataks

Back at Skottehytte in Petuniabukta.

Here: Kirton cairn

The Kirton gang:

Even, Stefan & Gisle.

Conclusion:

The geologists were living in a tent on a tiny gravel ridge when John Kirton died in July 1958. They continued to work on Geology until the autumn of the same year. Instead of sleeping, eating and working here with a corpse for several weeks, it is most likely that they buried him in the snow between the gravel ridge and the Kirton wall. The grave in the snow was probably marked with a ski belonging to Kirton. They certainly did not have material for a coffin with them in 1958. The question is what happened in the summer of 1959 when they went back: Did they find Kirton again in the snow? If so - did they bury him on the gravel ridge by the cairn they built then? We could not find a grave around the cairn. Over a meter of snow made the search difficult, but the sounding gave no sign of a grave.

Our theory is that Kirton was laid in the snow in 1958. Whether he was found again or not, the English put a ski in 1959, prepared with a plate, in the snow. This may indicate that he is still lying in the snow/ice on Oslobreen and is slowly but surely making his way out to sea in the Hinlopen Strait?

RIP John Kirton!

Track on the glaciers

Investigations around Kirton Ridge