Cecil Meares’ actions relating to meeting with Scott’s return party from the Pole

Bill Alp has written a book entitled ‘Cecil Meares’ reputation after Scott’s last expedition’. His work questions criticism of Meares’ motives and actions concerning the dog teams that carried food supplies for Scott to pick up on his return from the Pole. It then proceeds with its main purpose “to provide, for the first time, an evidence-based account of changes in the problematic Dog Party plans and instructions for January – March 1912”.   

Alp questions and disagrees with various “facts and hypotheses” recorded by Karen May and Sarah Airriess in a piece in the Polar Record of 17 February 2014, “Could Captain Scott have been saved. Cecil Meares and the second journey that failed” also several subsequent articles in the same journal. These works suggest that there was opportunity for the One Ton depot to have been re-stocked with the dog food in time for the Polar party’s return in January 1912, and that Cecil Meares failed to follow Scott’s orders.

Alp disagrees. He concludes, along with Meares’ biographer, Leif Mills, that Meares acquitted himself well and was a credit to Scott’s expedition.

Clearly a subject that could run and run!!