When Quintin Riley joined the British Graham Land Expedition in 1934 he did not describe himself as a ‘meteorologist’ or ‘quartermaster’ but as a ‘gentleman’. He was one of the group of young inter-war arctic adventurers inspired by the charismatic Gino Watkins. In 1930 fourteen of them had arrived in Greenland wearing tweed coats, ties and Oxford bags to investigate the harsh terrain of the ice cap for the British Arctic Air Route from Britain to North America. Their bonds of friendship survived their leader’s death and continued through further explorations at both poles, into their varied service in WW2 and beyond.

Riley, a fastidious High Churchman who loved small boat sailing though he was regularly seasick, was an early member of the RNVSR. In his was service he did his best to bring efficient organisation, nutrition (and ideally hot baths), along with personal courage, into various forms of irregular warfare from its beginnings in the 1940 Norway campaign, through the abortive Arctic Commando and into the highly successful intelligence unit, Ian Fleming’s brainchild, 30 Assault Unit.