Stephenson, Alfred

Alfred Stephenson was born on 25 November 1908 at Norwich. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Norwich, and at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in geography in 1930. He was appointed chief surveyor to the British Arctic Air Route Expedition, 1930-1931 (leader Henry George Watkins), participating in boat and sledging journeys to survey and chart parts of the east coast of Greenland. Stephenson climbed with Lawrence Rickard Wager to within 550 feet of the summit of Mount Forel, for many years a record height in Greenland. In 1932, he returned to the Arctic with the British Polar Year Expedition to Fort Rae, Canada, 1932-1933 (leader James Martin Stagg), as meteorological observer. He was placed in charge of the dog teams and undertook several sledge journeys in which he conducted surveys in the Great Slave Lake region.

In 1934, he was invited to participate in the British Graham Land Expedition, 1934-1937 (leader John Rymill), as chief surveyor and meteorologist. His skills as both dog-driver and surveyor were crucial to the success of the expedition, in which it was proved that Graham Land was a peninsula and not an archipelago.

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