| Summary: | This extremely detailed blank personnel record, designed by Charles Ward Crampton for Admiral Byrd’s 1928 Antarctic Expedition, was used to assess the durability of Byrd’s voyaging companions when faced with the strenuous journey. C. Ward Crampton performed the preliminary examination of Admiral Byrd’s men in preparation for his first expedition to Antarctica in 1928. The personnel record covers your average preliminary health examination—eye, ear, nose, throat, blood, etc.—as well as personal history questions that ask about your hometown, hobbies (with suggestions like athletics and collecting birds’ eggs), work history, and schooling, as well as questions that assess personality (some interesting options were “peaceable --- fought when necessary --- rather scrappy”). The record also asks about heredity one generation back before transitioning into a series of personal questions such as aspirations for the next decade, what annoys the crewman most, their weaknesses, and their temper and addictions. The last page of the document appears to have handwritten notes from Crampton himself with regards to what questions to include in the assessment, such as various kinds of jobs, blood typing, etc. There is also the mysterious writing, “The disqualification of the captain,” indicating that, perhaps, he was wondering what his course of action would be if the captain were found unsuitable. For the preparation of this document and examination of the crew, Crampton received a personal letter of thanks from Byrd. For a biography of C. Ward Crampton, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/551 Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was a naval officer, pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and recipient of the Medal of Honor. Byrd explored the Antarctic on four separate expeditions, of which the United States government official backed the last two. The 1928 trip was his first trip to Antarctica. His fourth trip in 1946 is still the largest Antarctic expedition to ...
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