Quintin Theodore Petroc Molesworth Riley (27 October 1905 – 25 December 1980) was a British

Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

who was awarded the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It w ...

Biography

Quintin Riley was born in 1905 in

Little Petherick Little Petherick ( kw, Nansfenten) is a village and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated two miles (3 kilometres) south of Padstow and 6 miles (9 kilometres) west of Wadebridge. As of the 2011 census its populat ...

, Cornwall, the youngest son of the eminent Anglo-Catholic layman,

Athelstan Riley John Athelstan Laurie Riley (10 August 1858 – 17 November 1945) was an English hymn writer and hymn translator. Riley was born in Paddington, London, and attended Pembroke College, Oxford, where obtained his BA in 1881 and MA in 1883. Active ...

. He was educated at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

, where he met

Gino Watkins Henry George "Gino" Watkins FRGS (29 January 1907 – c. 20 August 1932) was a British Arctic explorer and nephew of Bolton Eyres-Monsell, 1st Viscount Monsell. Biography Born in London, he was educated at Lancing College and acquired a lo ...

(1907–1932). He continued his education at

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

, where he graduated in 1927. In 1930–31 Riley joined the

British Arctic Air Route Expedition The British Arctic Air Route Expedition (BAARE) was a privately funded expedition to the east coast and interior of the island of Greenland from 1930 to 1931. Led by Gino Watkins, it aimed to improve maps and charts of poorly surveyed sections of ...

as a meteorologist. This expedition consisted in a team of fourteen men led by Watkins with the mission to survey and monitor weather conditions in the little explored east coast of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

. Barely a year later Riley returned to Greenland with the smaller

1932-33 East Greenland Expedition Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condit ...

, led by Watkins as well. He was one of the only three remaining team members following Watkin's death at Tuttilik Fjord. Riley next joined the 1934-1937 British Graham Land Expedition led by his former Greenland teammate

John Rymill John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. In 1938 Riley joined the

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

and became active in Norway and Iceland – among other places – during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Towards the end of WW2, Riley was appointed Commanding Officer of

No. 30 Commando No. 30 Commando, from 1943 to 1946 known as 30 Assault Unit, was a British Commando unit during the Second World War, originally formed to gather intelligence. History Formation In a 2012 documentary Dieppe Uncovered, Canadian Professor David O ...

– the brainchild of Commander

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

. Riley died in a road accident on Christmas Day 1980 while he was living in retirement in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

.Quintin Theodore Petroc Molesworth Riley; Biographical notes
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Honours

The

Riley Glacier Riley Glacier is a heavily crevassed glacier, 14 nautical miles (26 km) long and 17 nautical miles (31 km) wide, flowing westward from the west side of Palmer Land into George VI Sound between the Traverse Mountains and Mount Dixey. Fi ...

Palmer Land Palmer Land () is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica that lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the Advisory Committee on Antarctic N ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, was named after him.

References

External links

Essex Chronicle - Quintin relished adventuring but he found 'normal' home life difficultArchives - Riley, British Arctic Air Route Expedition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Quintin 1905 births 1980 deaths Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society People educated at Lancing College Explorers of the Arctic English explorers English polar explorers Recipients of the Polar Medal

Biography

Honours

Further reading

See also

References

External links