New friends of the Project. Mike Hewitt, England

Dear Alex,
I have just found your exhibition web site.
I am truly delighted and thrilled that the polar events of 1937 have been remembered in such a wonderful way!

My interest in this polar story started in 1969 when I received a letter and RAEM/MM QSL from Ernst Krenkel - see attached - in response to a short wave listener report I sent him on his transmissions from the Professor Zubov on its way back from the Antarctic.

Since 1972 I have had my own amateur radio callsign (G4AYO) and have put together a very large collection of Krenkel memorabilia, based on his book "RAEM Is My Callsign". The collection includes radio QSLs, stamps, philatelic covers, letters, photographs (including some signed by Valery Chkalov, Mikhail Gromov and their crews), postcards, Russian, German and English books, coins (including a 10 kopecks coin which Valery Chkalov carried in his trouser pocket over the North Pole in June 1937), a copy of Valery Chkalov′s flight log and navigational analysis,  a signed Waldorf Astoria New York dinner menu in honour of Chkalov, Russian films, medallions (including 50th anniversary Chelyuskin), and even a piece of N-210 (the ANT-6 which crashed on Rudolf Island returning from the search for Levanevsky on March 17th 1938).

For several years I have translated Russian polar material and liaised with two American aviators involved in the search for Levanevsky′s N-209 and with an American writer researching the story.

I also attach an image of my personal Amateur radio QSL. This QSL was recently in orbit on International Space Station-13 with cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov - to commemorate the 70th anniversary of UPOL (North Pole-1) and the 45th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin′s space flight. I am in e-mail contact with American amateur Ken Wright, W8NOT. Ken had a Morse code QSO with UPOL (Krenkel) in 1937 - Ken was 95 years old last week! He too will be thrilled to visit your web site!

Thanks again,
Yours sincerely
Mike Hewitt
Amateur radio station G4AYO
Sheffield, England