South polar times

In the preface to volume 1 of the published version of the South Polar Times, Robert Falcon Scott writes that the volumes were produced for the 'sole edification of our small company of explorers in the Discovery, then held fast in the Antarctic Ice. No attempt has been made to re-edit the text or to supply explanatory notes, ... ' It was intended to give 'instruction as well as amusement; we looked to our scientific experts to write luminously on their special subjects, and to record the scientific events of general interest, while for lighter matter we agreed that the cloak of anonymity should encourage the indulgence of any shy vein of sentiment or humour that might exist among us.' Ernest Shackleton was appointed the editor; Edward Wilson produced much of the artwork, including the armorial title page with two emperor penguins supporting the oval shield, which depicts Mt Erebus which towered behind their base and an Adelie penguin and chick. Wilson's frontispiece depicts three men man-hauling a sledge, a method Scott's two expeditions persisted with.

The Discovery expedition or National Antarctic Expedition 1901-04, had been in planning stages for many years. Finally, in mid-1899, it became a reality and Scott, with no prior polar experience, was appointed leader. Edward Wilson was the zoologist and artist and Louis Bernacchi, who had served on Carsten Borchgrevink's 1898 expedition at Cape Adare, was the physicist. H T Ferrar was geologist and T V Hodgson the marine biologist. Geographical discovery and exploration were the main aims of the expedition. Shackleton was a sub-lieutenant with a background in the Merchant rather than the Royal Navy.

The men had much learning to do in the harsh conditions and experience came dearly when a sledging party ran into difficulties in a blizzard and one man disappeared into the sea. A large cross erected to the memory of George Vince still stands on the hill behind Scott's hut. When the summer sledging season arrived Scott, with Wilson and Shackleton, set out on an attempt to reach the South Pole: they reached 82 degrees 16' South, and had not even left the Ross Ice Shelf. The reality was that they were ill-prepared for their march. The dogs were poorly fed and managed - no-one had prior experience of handling dog teams. The rations for the men were inadequate, supplying insufficient energy in the cold conditions, and scurvy also set in. Meanwhile, Armitage led a party which found a route to the Polar Plateau using the Ferrar Glacier. Scott, after his return from the Polar attempt, also explored this route. The scientific results from the expedition were substantial - particularly in meteorology and magnetism, geology and biology - and were enough to encourage a second expedition.

Scott returned to the Antarctic in 1910, once more accompanied by Wilson as chief scientist. Again this expedition would make large scientific collections but would be overwhelmed by the tragedy that befell Scott and his four men as they returned from their trek to the South Pole. All five men perished: first Edgar Evans, then Lawrence Oates who walked out of the tent into a blizzard and his death. Finally the remaining three - Scott, Wilson and Birdie Bowers - died, trapped in their tent in a blizzard, tantalizingly close to a food depot but unable to reach it. Their bodies were found on the Ice Shelf the following summer and buried there. The bodies of Evans and Oates were never found.

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