Captain Scott
GREAT SCOTT!
Many schools made collections to
support the Terra Nova expedition, with children particularly keen to raise money for dogs and ponies.
Captain Scott understood the publicity value of stunning images and photographer Herbert Ponting was recruited for the 1910–1912 expedition on a higher salary than any of the scientists.
suffered and were put down, and the team was forced to man-haul earlier than planned. When they arrived at the South Pole 17–18 January they discovered that Amundsen’s men, making full use of skis and dogs and starting out some 60 miles closer to the goal, had beaten them, arriving on 14 December 1911. They were devastated. And still faced the treacherous 800-mile return trek before the deadly Antarctic winter fell in mid April. Blizzards, gale-force winds,
frostbite, dwindling supplies and energy beat them down. Evans died fi rst. Oates, unable to continue and unwilling to hold back his companions, left the tent in a blizzard on 17 March with the legendary words, recorded by Scott in his diary, “I am just going outside and may be some time.” He never returned. By the end of March the three remaining men were dead, overcome by the elements. They had got to within just 11 miles (17.5km) of a crucial food and fuel depot. When news of their fate eventually reached Britain the
following year, a nation mourned. For a century the expedition was seen as an heroic failure, with the emphasis on ‘heroic’. But as celebrations this year seek to show, it is time also to honour the forgotten achievements. The search party that discovered the bodies of Scott and
his companions also found 16kg (35lbs) of geological specimens beside them – despite the extra weight, they had remained loyal to their scientifi c endeavours right to the end. Among the fossils collected were specimens which proved that central Antarctica once had tropical conditions
42 BRITAIN
and was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. Findings from the expedition as a whole have provided baseline scientifi c data still used to this day. You can explore how past discoveries help modern scientists investigating our changing environment at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, founded in 1920 as a memorial to the valiant captain and his men. Nor should we forget Scott’s companions – visit Gilbert White’s House & Gardens and The Oates Collection in Hampshire, for insights into the life of courageous Captain Oates. A new interactive exhibition opens 10 March to mark the centenary. Truly, Scott’s story still stirs the heart, and the legacy of his expedition continues to inspire.
Main: Ponting’s photograph of The Tenements, 9 Oct 1911. Above: Expedition dog and gramophone. Below: Adelie Penguin
THE LOST PHOTOGRAPHS
Until now, the doomed Terra Nova expedition has been documented by Scott’s own diaries, those of his companions, and the celebrated photographs of Herbert Ponting. For the final, fateful months of their journey however, recording the extraordinary endeavour was left to Scott himself. His series of breathtaking photographs have now been published for the first time in a new book by Dr David M Wilson, The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott.
For further details and links to all the exhibitions mentioned in this feature, visit the BRITAIN website
www.britain-magazine.com
www.britain-magazine.com
Scott and his team at Cape Evans celebrated the Antarctic midwinter, 22 June 1911, in style with seal soup, roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, plum pudding and mince pies.
London’s Natural History Museum is home to some 4,000 scientific specimens brought back from Scott’s expedition, which discovered 401 new species of animals, plants and fossils.
PHOTOS: DUNDEE HERITAGE TRUST
MIDDLE PHOTO: ©H PONTING PHOTOGRAPH CANTERBURY MUSEUM NZ
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