Fascinating never-before-seen photos of life on a British whaling ship in the Antarctic in the aftermath of the Second World War have emerged 80 years on.
The black and white images are a reminder of Britain’s centuries-long involvement in a trade that came to be abhorred by most nations.
Whale meat was available as an alternative to beef, pork and chicken at a time when food rationing was still in place.
And whale oil was used as a lubricant in industry and to make margarine.
One image shows a crew member stood in the jaws of a gigantic sperm whale which was placed on deck.
Another is of a whale being brought next to the vessel before being lifted on board.
Fascinating never-before-seen photos of life on a British whaling ship in the Antarctic in the aftermath of the Second World War have emerged 80 years on
The photos were taken by Robert James Hewer aboard the Southern Venturer between 1945 and 1946
Robert James Hewer cuddles a cat aboard the Southern Venturer between 1945 and 1946
Other graphic images illustrate how the blubber was removed and meat stripped from whale carcasses.
The photos were taken by Robert James Hewer aboard the Southern Venturer between 1945 and 1946.
Other snaps taken by a crew mate show him cuddling a cat and face to face with a penguin.
A person with a broken leg is hoisted ashore and crew members ‘smarten up’ by giving each other haircuts.
They encountered dramatic scenery including huge icebergs and visited the stone memorial to great explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
The 28-page album is tipped to sell for £1,200 at London-based Charles Miller Auctions, of Fulham.
Blubber being removed from a fin whale on the flensing deck
Another image taken a short time later shows the process after more blubber has been removed
The carcass after most of the blubber has been stripped away
A member of the crew is suited up in diving gear by his comrades
A crew member stands in the jaws of a dead sperm whale on the deck of the ship
A blue whale is taken aboard the ship to be processed by the crew
A crew member gets a haircut from a comrade on The Southern Venturer
A crew member with his makeshift drumkit on board The Southern Venturer
Seals basking in the sun on an island were also photographed during The Southern Venturer’s voyage
The whaling operation at Leith Harbour in Scotland. The Southern Venturer was built there
A crew member who suffered a broken leg is winched ashore
A wider shot shows the injured crew member being winched off the Southern Venturer
They said Britain was dependent on whale oil and meat immediately post-war due to food shortages, with rationing remaining in place until 1954.
An auction house spokesperson said: ‘The photos provide a fascinating, although at times, gory insight into the workings of a factory ship just after the Second World War when the country’s dependence on whale oil and meat was at an all-time high.
‘The 28-page album comprises a wide range of photos from this expedition to the Antarctic and depicts the working as well as social life on board.
‘The important work of catching the whales and processing (dissecting) them is clearly shown including the removal of the blubber and the meat for cooking in steam pressure boilers and the conveyor belt used to transport those parts to the cooker.
‘Other images include divers getting ready alongside their rafts and their equipment to make repairs, other whalers as well as scenes of the way of life at the Antarctic whaling stations.’
Auctioneer Charles Miller added: ‘It is extremely unusual to find such a large quantity of fascinating photographs for this bygone era, which whilst perhaps shocking to modern eyes, was a vital and forgotten component to Britain’s post-war economy.’
A wider image of the whaling station at Leith Harbour
Crew members from the Southern Venturer take part in a voyage
Robert James Hewer face to face with a penguin during a whaling exhibition
Some of the dramatic scenery photographed by the crew of the Southern Venturer
Robert James Hewer puffs on a cigarette while posing in a porthole on the Southern Venturer
Captain Henningsen with seals at Husvik Harbour in South Georgia
The whaling ship Petrel with a whale alongside
The memorial to explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on South Georgia, where he died in 1922
The sale takes place on April 29.
During the First World War, around 58,000 whales were killed to fuel the war effort of Britain and its allies.
Whale oil was vital because it was Britain’s main source of glycerine, which was used for making cordite.
Oils from whales were also used to make high quality lubricants.
Britain finally ceased whaling in 1963, nearly 20 years after global regulation body the International Whaling Commission was set up in Cambridge.
And the import of products made from whaling were banned a decade later.
It brought to an end more three and a half centuries of British involvement in the industry.
Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986. Norway, Iceland and Japan still allow the practice despite the prohibition.