The staff at the UK's Rothera Research Station in Antarctica have been gifted an iconic Royal Mail 'lamp' post box featuring the King Charles III cypher - just in time for Christmas.
The new lamp box was requested by Kirsten Shaw, a station support assistant who runs a British Antarctic Territory Post Office for staff at Rothera Research Station. Seeking an upgrade for their hand-made post box at Rothera, Kirsten wrote to His Majesty The King. Touched by the story of the team working in one of the most remote places on Earth, the Royal Household worked with Royal Mail to arrange this particularly special delivery.
The Post Office service at Rothera allows Kirsten's colleagues to send and receive post from family and friends back home while they are deployed to the frozen continent. As well as overseeing the formal Post Office logistics of getting mail in and out of Antarctica from Rothera, she handles the unpredictable process of getting post out to staff to other British Antarctic Survey (BAS) stations and science field camps – an informal operation affectionately known within BAS as 'Antarctic Postal Logistics'.
Kirsten was awarded the Fuchs Medal in 2022 for her contributions to the Antarctic community – recognising her work as a postal agent and dedication to the staff-only delivery service.
Kirsten explained the importance of post to staff:
"Getting post is really special for the team at Rothera. If you're doing fieldwork for many months, the feeling of receiving a letter - an actual tangible, piece of paper with handwriting from friends and family - is such a lift. It's a wonderful way to connect people that goes beyond what an email or text message can do.
Being in Antarctica is incredible, but it's full of extremes. So I think it's a special thing to send post back home, to communicate your experiences. It's a moment of your life that you put down on paper and give to someone else."
Sending post to and from a remote Antarctic research station is no mean feat. After Kirsten sorts staff correspondence intended for international delivery, she adds British Antarctic Territory stamps and packs it into bags. She forwards these bags on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough or on BAS aircraft to the Falkland Islands, where BAS maintains an office in Stanley. The final leg involves transport on the 'air bridge' route to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where letters enter the Royal Mail postal network for onward delivery.
The new post box has been delivered to Rothera Research Station by the UK's polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, along with the first major drop of supplies to the station following the long Antarctic winter. The post box will ultimately have pride of place in the Discovery Building: a new scientific support and operations hub which supports the station and polar science delivery.
Aurelia Reichardt, Station Leader at Rothera Research Station, said:
"It's an honour for the station to be gifted a real Royal Mail post box. It's given the community here a real boost – and it's a great reminder to take the time to reach out to loved ones, even when work gets hectic. For our team, who are working in such a remote place, it's like having a piece of home with us."
David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail said:
"We're delighted to donate this iconic Royal Mail lamp post box to the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station. Sending and receiving mail is a vital connection for staff working in one of the most remote places on Earth - especially at Christmas, when messages from loved ones mean so much. This new post box will help keep that tradition alive and ensure the magic of mail even reaches the Antarctic."
Jane Rumble OBE, HM Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory said:
"Maintaining a postal service in the British Antarctic Territory is far more than a symbolic gesture. It reinforces Britain's presence and heritage in Antarctica and provides a vital link to the wider world. It is a delight to see this shiny new post box installed in the new Discovery Building at Rothera's Post Office."
The Post Office at Rothera Research Station remains for the use of staff only. Meanwhile, the honour of the most southerly public Post Office remains with the affectionately named 'Penguin Post Office' at Port Lockroy on the Antarctic Peninsula. Overseen by the British Antarctic Territory Postmaster, the Post Office is part of the Port Lockroy heritage site run by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Each season, the small team manually sort and process around 80,000 postcards sent by visitors to more than 100 countries worldwide.
