When the Jungfraujoch Research Party of 1938 was working. on the Great Aletsch Glacier it became apparent that a film showing speeded-up motion of the ice would tell us a great deal about the vexed problem of glacier flow.
The idea, however, turned out not to be a new one, for I found that A. de Quervain had made a film at the end of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier as far back as 1912. Recently I have had the opportunity of seeing this film in London (through the courtesy of Dr. P. L. Mercanton) and at Oslo. It is a creditable achievement considering the apparatus available at the time. The time has now come, however, when, with modern apparatus and automatic shutters and diaphragms, a contribution of immense value could be made to glacial science. The undertaking will be no small one and shots in several parts of a glacier and at different seasons will be necessary.
