Sailor, stoker and dog handler beyond the Antarctic Circle

Vaclav Vojtech (29. November 1901, Skřivany near Nový Bydžov - August 6, 1932, Labe near Sadská) was not the first Czech to succumb to the lure of the adventure of polar expeditions. However, he was the first Czech to enter the territory of Antarctica, on January 27, 1929. He also became a direct witness to the takeoff of an aircraft that made the first flight over the South Pole in history; This happened on November 29, 1929. In 1929, Václav Vojtěch participated in the famous Byrd expedition to the South Pole. He described his experiences in the book Sailor, Stoker and Dog Handler Beyond the Antarctic Circle. However, before the start of another expedition, where he planned to study the polar climate and geology in Alaska together with Professor Aleš Hrdlička, tragedy struck when he drowned while canoeing on the Elbe River near Sadská. It reads: Antonin Hardt