Herbert Broadbent - 'Bart' to his colleagues of the Astronomical Photographic Division - frowned at the cryptic official radio message which had just been sent to him. It said briefly:

Prepare for departure to Ceylon on February 26 to photograph total solar eclipse. Dr Murchinson expedition. Solar Photographs Division.

'There are times,' he commented, 'when I get heartily tired of tearing about the world just on the spec of photographing something which never lasts more than five minutes at most!'