Scott was aware of, and keenly interested in, technical developments in the early 1900s. He also understood the importance of marketing his second expedition. To help advertise the expedition he took the ‘Camera Artist’ Herbert George Ponting as part of the ‘Terra Nova’ crew. Ponting was considered to be one of the finest travel photographers of his time. When he was appointed he wrote that the expedition would allow him to turn the experiences he had gained into some permanent benefit for mankind.
Ponting taught Scott to use the cumbersome photographic equipment. Unsurprisingly Scott was fascinated by the technique. He made many false starts; on one occasion, having followed the check list carefully and taken photographs to no effect, he worked out that he had forgotten to remove the camera lens. But he developed into a talented photographer. He learnt how to ‘compose’ an image so that, for example, outlines of the tents were in pleasing harmony with the silhouettes of the background mountains, shapes moulded gracefully into each other. It was a technique that took time.
Ponting did not go across the Barrier and on towards the Pole. It was left to his students to faithfully record the last few months of Scott’s ill-fated expedition. Many of these images are in ‘The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott’ edited by Dr. David. M. Wilson.
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
2 MarI recently gave a talk on the life of Edward Wilson at Caius College Cambridge where Wilson was a pre-clinical student. It is a wonderful college to visit. Established in 1348 by Edmund Gonville and refounded and extended in the sixteenth century by a doctor of medicine, John Keyes, it is called Caius, rather than Keyes because Dr. Keyes ‘Latinised’ the spelling of his name. He built three famous gates in the college grounds. Wilson was above the Gate of Virtue but was not always virtuous by the strict rules of the day. He was ‘sent down’ (expelled) for the heinous crime of leaving the college, after hours, and without permission.
There was a service dedicated to Wilson in the chapel before the talk.The choir was superb.
Gonville and Caius are proud of their famous graduate. A sledge flag that Wilson took to the South Pole has pride of place in the dining hall. It was presented to him by the wife of the Master in 1910, Dr Roberts and has been refurbished recently. The present Master is Sir Christopher Hum.
A service to commemorate the life of Edgar Evans at St Mary’s Church, Central Swansea
24 FebThis was a wonderful occasion. The great and the good of Wales and beyond gathered to give proper recognition to Edgar Evans’s contribution to Scott’s expeditions, exactly 100 years after his death. The service was attended by the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan and other dignitaries. The navy was well represented. Edgar’s grandson, John Evans, read from Scott’s journal and made a plea for a statute for his grandfather to be erected in Swansea, Edgar’s granddaughter was also present. The Bishop of Swansea and Brecon made an excellent address stressing Edgar’s virtues, the Archdeacon of the Gower led the Intercessions. Naval Cadets marched up and down the aisle, a Petty Officer Cadet read the Naval Prayer.
The whole service was much appreciated by those of us who have come to admire Edgar.
You can read a report of the service on the BBC News website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17071873
Could Captain Scott have been saved?
16 FebAn interesting article has recently appeared in the Polar Record. Written by Karen May, it is entitled, ‘Could Captain Scott have been saved? Revisiting Scott’s last expedition’. Ref. Polar Record Cambridge University Press 2012 doi:10.1017/S003224411000751 (p1-19)
The piece suggests reasons for Teddy Evans’ scurvy which, of course indirectly led to Cherry-Garrard being sent with the dog teams to replenish the stores on the Barrier. It also questions Huntford’s assertion that Scott sent ‘last minute’ verbal orders with Teddy Evans before he returned to base, concerning the dog teams being sent onto the Barrier. She thinks this unlikely, stating rather that these orders had been given in a written memorandum to Mears on 20th October 1911. Also that Scott had discussed various eventualities with other members of the team
One of the reasons that Oates hung on for so long may have been that he was hoping for the dog teams to pick up the returnees.
The article reflects on the motives and actions of the important participants in this final part of the fateful drama.
Captain Scott’s Invaluable Assistant, Edgar Evans
2 FebMy book is to be published this week and I am delighted at the interest already expressed, particularly in Wales. I have been interviewed for ‘Wales This Week’, an ITV production in Wales which was an excitement; the piece is to go out on 14/02/12 and I also gave a short interview on ‘Good Evening Wales’ on the 17/01/12. I am to speak on the ‘Jamie and Louise Show’ next Monday, the 6th February and gave a long interview to Abbie of the ‘Western Mail’ for a weekend supplement piece on the 18th. Incidentally the ‘Western Mail’ editor in 1909 ,W.E.Davies, organized great support for the ‘Terra Nova Expedition’ both with cash and much needed supplies.
The book launch will take place in Swansea Museum on 18/02/12, just over 100 years after Edgar’s death.
WILSON’S EMPEROR PENGUIN EGGS
19 JanThere is a big Antarctic exhibition at the Natural History Museum. This includes the Emperor Penguin eggs that Wilson, ‘Birdie’ Bowers and Apsley Cherry-Garrard brought back at such cost from the Emperor colony at Cape Crozier.
The embryos were not found to prove the theory that Wilson was investigating: a link between birds and early reptiles. He was interested in penguin eggs because he thought that penguins were the most primitive of birds (now known to be untrue). When the eggs were examined years later no support for the suggestion was found
I do not think that Wilson would have minded this. Throughout his life his emphasis was on objective scientific research. He would carefully examine any theory before accepting or rejecting it. This expedition was his scientific investigation, he had hoped to examine a series of eggs at the colony. Had he lived to hear the verdict, no connection proved, he would have accepted this calmly as part of God’s plan
Science in Antarctica
10 JanI am giving a number of talks on Antarctica this year; obviously a most important year in relation to the commemoration of the deaths of the British Polar Party in 1912. People remain fascinated by the achievements of the early twentieth century explorers.
But history is only a part of Antarctica; scientific advances on the continent have focussed the world’s attention on it as a platform for pivotal new information about the universe.
Since the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 (when scientists from many nations cooperated for the first time on scientific projects) and the Antarctic Treaty of 1961 (which set aside territorial claims and ensured the freedom of scientific projects), a vast amount of information has been gathered: weather balloons floating above the continent raised the first concerns about global warning, the South Pole telescope will survey thousands of galaxies. ‘Ice Cube’s a powerful telescope that searches for dark matter and is collecting information on neutrinos, Ice Cores (which retrieve a core of ice from deep below the Antarctic surface), give us information about the geological conditions existing hundreds of thousands of years ago. Antarctic lakes have been found deep below the ice with living creatures in them.
Truly a place of important ongoing possibilities, potential and fascination.
My Life in Shelter Island
29 DecMilla, my granddaughter and I wrote this little book after a wonderful holiday in Shelter Island, (an island off Long Island N.Y.S. ), where we imagined that we were looking after far to many horses on her parents small-holding. I became a ‘virtual’ expert in grooming, feeding, exercising.
The interest remains. She has weekly lessons and a recent visit to England was particularly successful, not so much because of the outings I had planned, but because of the three ‘rescue’ horses in the field behind our house, which Milla and her sister could feed, water and generally attend to daily.
I need make no plans for the next visit!!
The Centenary of the Terra Nova
29 DecMany, many events have celebrated or are to celebrate, this centenary:
On June 15 2010, The Captain Scott Society celebrated the centenary of the ‘Terra Nova’ sailing from Cardiff and in June 2011 Plymouth celebrated some of the scientific findings of Scott’s last expedition. Many other places with connections with the expedition plan to honour the memory of the ‘Terra Nova’ expedition of 1910-1913.
The diary of these events can be found at: wwwScott100centenary:celebrating 100 years since Terra Nova.
I will be attending the Swansea celebrations of the local Welsh hero, Edgar Evans on 17.18th February. There is to be a service at St Mary’s Church on the 17th and on the 18th there will be a book launch for my book ‘Captain Scott’s Invaluable Assistant, Edgar Evans’ in the Swansea Museum.
I look forward to this, also to a celebration in Gloucester Cathedral and a service in Cheltenham College to be held in memory of Dr E.A.Wilson. This is to be followed by a re-dedication of the Wilson statute in central Cheltenham which was sculpted by Scott’s wife, Kathleen Bruce. I am to give a talk to the College about their famous Old Boy.
Wherever you are, I hope you will be able to enjoy some of the planned events.
Dental hygiene in the navy 1890s and now.
8 DecLt. Col. Henry Worsley who is following in the steps of Scott and Amundsen to the South Pole, writes in The Sunday Times Magazine 27/11/2011 of brushing his teeth as an amazing pick-me-up.
Dental hygiene was a problem that Scott was well aware of. Before expeditions the crew had to visit the dentist; there were little facilities for dealing with tooth ache in Antarctica. The ratings particularly had an amazing number of teeth removed before expeditions. This is not surprising when the dental regulations for boys entering the Navy in the 1890s are considered. Boys up to 17 years could have SEVEN rotten teeth and still be accepted, older recruits more.
In fact with Scott’s precautions there were relatively few problems though Engineer Skelton had to have a tooth removed under anaesthetic and one of the ratings endured several failed attempts at removal
Isobel Williams – Author, Cruise Speaker and Lecturer 