About Eric Salmon and Bill Sloman

Eric Salmon and William (Bill) Sloman were well known in the 50’s, 60′ and 70’s, as the selection “committee” for new Fids.

Eric Salmon spent four winters as a Meteorologist in the Antarctic – Signy (1950), Deception (1951), Argentine Islands (1954) and Detaille (1956), and so was also uniquely suited to picking out gentlemen that would be suitable for FIDS Bases. He and Bill Sloman formed an able Tag Team.

New applicants typically spent from half an hour to an hour being grilled by these two, and if it was the right time of day, the interview continued over a pint or two at the pub just down the street. In retrospect, the pub session was really an integral part of finding out if the potential Fid would fit in on a BAS Base!

The two had a remarkable success story of employing suitable applicants without any of the psychological and psychiatric methods employed by other nations (especially USARP) for one-year tours, who had far greater problems than the Fids selected by Eric and Bill for two-year tours.

The percentage of employees selected by Eric and Bill who had successful two-year tours was clearly very high to any Fid who steps back and thinks about their years, and the occasional “oddball” usually departed for home after one year, on the first available ship – and occasionally even before the ships departed prior to the winter!

Bill and Eric each toured the BAS Bases in their HQ Personnel capacity. We have tried to find mugshots of each of them, with no success (if you have any, please send them in); below is a selection with a best shot of who else is who – we welcome corrections and additions.

Photos kindly supplied by multiple Fids and BAS Archives: