Arrangements to organise a Royal Society Expedition (RSE) were made very swiftly after the eruption started, as on 14th October 1961, before the islanders arrived in Cape Town, Martin Holdgate wrote to the Colonial Office to suggest a RSE be planned as soon as possible. The RS responded positively and by November a team was organised, led by Dr Ian Gass of Leeds University, and including fellow geologist Dr Roger Le Maitre, who, like Martin, was a member of the 1955-56 Gough Island Scientific Survey and so knew Tristan well.
