Provenance: The collection after Paul E. Ancker.

Paul E. Ancker, known by his pilot name “POL”, began his career in the Royal Danish Air Force in 1950 and completed his pilot training in the United States. In 1954, he arrived in Greenland for the first time as a Catalina pilot during a measles epidemic in Godthåb and Uummannaq, where he transported doctors and nurses to the most severely affected areas. In the following years, POL carried out numerous flights across Greenland - from maritime surveillance to medical evacuations - and his courage and skill were repeatedly recognized as “extraordinary achievements.” Among the most notable was a rescue mission in November, when he landed the Catalina aircraft in the settlement of Augpilagtoq near Upernavik to evacuate a seriously injured seal hunter - the first landing ever made in that area at that time of year. Another dramatic mission took place when, despite severe icing conditions, he flew to Skjoldungen on Greenland’s east coast to rescue a gravely ill child. An effort that saved the child’s life. POL’s bravery even took him to Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island in northern Canada, where he evacuated a 12-year-old boy suffering from chickenpox from one of the world’s most remote regions. During his early years in Greenland, POL built a unique collection of Greenlandic art, several pieces of which were gifts from grateful families of patients he had rescued. Created by local artists from various parts of Greenland, these works stand as enduring expressions of respect, gratitude, and deep cultural connection. Paul E. Ancker’s posting to Greenland in 1954 marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to the Arctic and to aviation - a passion he maintained throughout his life. Until his passing in April 2024, at the age of 93, he remained active as an author of aviation history books, drawing on his vast expertise and enduring love for Greenland.

Text corrected 19.11.25.