60. Joyce field diary, 29 February 1916
61. Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
* Richards often wrote ‘Haywood’ in his diary instead of ‘Hayward’.
† It is not clear exactly what Wild meant with this ‘Scott’s record’ reference, possibly the number of days of the blizzard. However, Scott’s journal of 1912 states the blizzard that halted him, Wilson and Bowers also went on for more than eleven days.
Chapter 15
‘WE ARE ALL RAPIDLY GOING DOWN WITH SCURVY’
1 March 1916
ON THE PREVIOUS day (29 February) they had travelled 2 or 3 miles after picking up Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild, which meant on the morning of 1 March, the six men were only a few miles from the Bluff depot.
They were away reasonably quickly, with Spencer-Smith and Mackintosh on the sledges. In the afternoon the tail-wind was stronger, enabling them to reach the Bluff depot that evening, 70 miles from Hut Point. The men started to see familiar sights and for Richards, to see Mount Erebus was just like seeing home; to him it was a lovely mountain.1
It was a tiring day for Richards and it remained fixed in his mind. He remembered hauling hard all day and Spencer-Smith, who was watching him from the sledge said: ‘For God’s sake, Richy, stop or you’ll bust your heart.’2 He recalled being completely exhausted when they arrived at the depot; however, his day was not over. When they stopped they found some tent poles were missing. Because of their worsening condition over the past few weeks, they had not been as particular with the packing and lashing of items on the sledges, and that was how the tent poles had come to fall off. They could not put up the tent without them and Richards says he did not know what they would have done if they had lost them. He remembers standing on the sledge with his glasses to look back over their track and he could see them some distance away. He recalled that he went back to pick them up and that this walk was ‘the hardest damn journey I ever made’, even though it was only about a mile. Richards was the youngest in the party and he liked to ease any load for Joyce, who he called ‘old Joycey’. He said: ‘You know what you are when you’re in your twenties, you see a bloke forty; you reckon he’s an old man.’3 Richards wrote later that he was more spent that evening than at any other time on the whole journey.4
Hayward: ‘Under way 8 o/c proceeding in same manner. Smith on first sledge, Skipper on rear sledge. Splendid breeze helping us considerably & by lunch we estimated that we were not more than 5 M from depot.’5
Joyce:
Set sail; put the Skipper on rear sledge. The temperature has gone down and it is very cold. Bluff in sight. We are making good progress, doing a good mileage before lunch.
After lunch a little stronger wind.
H--- still hanging on to sledge. Skipper fell off twice.6
Spencer-Smith: ‘It is homely to see the old place again. Erebus and Terror have been visible all day – for the first time for many weeks. Sunshine, southerly, and drift: surface indifferent, but dogs splendid being now bound northward and we reached the Bluff Depot tonight (about 8 miles).’7
Hayward:
After lunch going good & made depot in about 3½ hrs.
When we came to pitch our tent we found that somehow our tent poles had fallen off the back sledge where they had been stowed this seemed the last straw however Richards looked back the track through the glasses & made out something approx half a mile away, which proved to be the poles.8
Joyce did not acknowledge Richards’s efforts:
When camping found we had dropped our tent-poles, so Richards went back a little way + spotted them through the binoculars about half a mile off + brought them back. Hayward and I were very cold by that time, the drift very bad. Moral: See everything properly secured. We soon had our tent up, cooked our dinner in the dark + turned in about 10 o’clock.9
Richards: ‘…Had a very hard day’s work and straining to pull the men … is difficult. My legs are in fair condition so far. Haywood finds difficulty in walking. Dogs in good condition.’10
Hayward knew they all now had scurvy:
I should mention that we are all, more or less, suffering from scurvy, our gums being much swollen. I feel it very badly in the limbs particularly in the groin, knees & ankles; the only cure of course is a diet of fresh meat & this we cannot procure till we get in, so one sees the vital necessity of quick progress.11
2 March 1916
On the morning of 2 March the six men, with their four dogs, Oscar, Towser, Con and Gunner, left the Bluff depot with 70 miles to travel to reach Hut Point. A strong wind helped push them along. They guessed the number of miles they had travelled each day, and their estimates varied considerably (they now had no sledge-meter). By the evening they were less than 60 miles from Hut Point.
Without the assisting wind, which allowed them to use a sail, Richards had doubts they would have survived. They always had a tent floor cloth on one of the sledges ready to be used – and with a southerly breeze behind they had no trouble hauling two sledges. Richards remembered that on that day the wind was so strong that the sledges would overrun the men and dogs, rather than having to pull them. The men could jump on board, although they were very hard to steer.12
Spencer-Smith never made a fuss and this attitude impressed Richards. In a letter he wrote fifty years afterwards Richards described how he was tied directly to the sledge so he believed that he probably saw more of Spencer-Smith than the others, and had opportunity for the occasional word with him. Richards would see him sink into a coma and at times heard him wandering with his thoughts, but he was amazingly cheerful. Richards never heard him complain and was sure that Spencer-Smith never at any time lost hope.13
Here’s Joyce on the start to the day:
Up as usual. Strong south-west wind with heavy drift.
Took 2 weeks’ provisions from the depot. I think that will last us through, as there is another depot* about 50 miles north from here; I am taking the outside course on account of the crevasses, and one cannot take too many chances with two men on sledges + one crippled.14
Hayward:
There seems to be no end to this awful weather & we left the Bluff Depot in a howling gale accompanied by drift, of course.
The wind helps us along considerably but the process of striking tents & stowing sledges under these conditions is harder than a day’s heavy hauling & from the time we started till lunch was a chapter of accidents.
First Smith then the Skipper edging so far over to the side of the sledge on which they are lying as to capsize it, which meant considerable delay before things were righted.15
Richards: ‘Good heavy southwest wind accompanied by heavy drift. Sledges went well in the afternoon. Sometimes carrying 4 men so strong was the wind. One sail only set.’16
Joyce: ‘Wind and drift very heavy; set half-sail on the first sledge and under way about 3.30. The going is perfect; sometimes sledges overtaking us. Carried on until 8 o’clock, doing an excellent journey for the day; distance about 11 or 12 miles.’17
Spencer-Smith:
We did about 3 miles before lunch. Amazing drift – we were in it just after lunch, but 5 yards to the east there was none! A 45 knot breeze and high drift all thro’ afternoon.
With the merest rag of a sail on the forward sledge both H. and R. had to sit on the sledge so as to make the pace reasonable. We must have done anything between 8 and 10 miles.18
At the end of the day Joyce was still apprehensive:
Gives one a bit of heart to carry on like this only hope we can do this all the way. Hard to cook our meals in the dark but still we did not mind turned in about 11 o’clock. Pleased with ourselves although we were wet through with snow as it got through all the holes in our clothes + the sleeping bags are worse than awful.19
3 March 1916
The weather now started to take another turn for the worse, and they were unable to travel. Their sleeping bags were now filled with ice and their footgear and clothing were worn out – it was seco
nd-hand when they commenced sledging.
Wild: ‘Blizzard and nothing doing.’20
Richards: ‘Heavy wind and drift. Laying up.’21
Spencer-Smith: ‘Regular hurricane blowing this morning, and obscured everywhere. Nothing doing all day.’22
Hayward: ‘We are unable to get under way this morning wind being so violent as to make the striking of tents dangerous. We are hoping for a lull. Weather continued too thick to enable us to start & we had to remain in camp.’23
Joyce:
Up the usual time. It has been blowing a raging blizzard all night. Found to our disgust utterly impossible to carry on. Another few hours of agony in these rotten bags.
Later. Blizzard much heavier. Amused myself mending Finneskoe + Burberrys, mitts + socks. Had the Primus while this operation was in force. Hoping for a fine day to-morrow.24
4 March 1916
Even though the blizzard was still howling they had to keep moving. Hayward was now unable to help and even Spencer-Smith noted his poor condition. He was now riding on the sledges at times, with Spencer-Smith and Mackintosh. Mackintosh had reached the stage where he could only stumble along in a squatting position under his own steam for a few yards. He tried to stay on his feet by hanging on to the back of the sledge but unfortunately his legs had got to such a state he could only hobble – even Joyce was now sympathetic towards him. Richards after the event gave both Mackintosh and Hayward ‘full marks’ because after they stopped for lunch or for any reason, both men would set off with a couple of ski-sticks while the others were packing up.25
Richards’s mind was more at rest and he may have considered at this stage that their troubles were over as he reverted to what he called his ‘unfortunate practice in not keeping a detailed personal diary’.26
Richards: ‘Fine wind – fair progress.’27
Joyce:
Up 5.20. Still blizzarding, but have decided to get under way as we will have to try and travel through everything.
Hayward is getting worse, and one doesn’t know who is the next. No mistake it is scurvy, and the only possible cure is fresh food.
Got under way 9.35. It took some two hours to dig out dogs and sledges, as they were completely buried. It is the same every morning now. Set sail, going along pretty fair. Hayward gets on sledge now and again.28
Wild: ‘10 miles in a blizzard. Hayward is done now so we have got three men to pull three more. I have just been making a new primus that is why I am so late.’29
Hayward:
The scurvy from which we are suffering is playing us up badly. Joyce, Richards, Wild luckily are not very stiff & I sincerely hope that they will get in without getting worse.
As for myself my knees & ankles have stiffened right up & it is as much as I can do to get over the ground at anything like a fast pace however so far by shutting my eyes & getting my head down I usually find myself somewhere around most of the time.30
Spencer-Smith:
Still blowing and drifting in the morning, but after a great deal of excavating we made a late start and did about 5 miles. The afternoon slightly better – though very hard work for the pullers, Hayward almost being hors de combat now – and the day’s total should be about 11m.
Very uncomfortable morning and good afternoon. Our primus is playing Old Harry now and it sometimes takes 1½ hours before we really get into a meal.31
Joyce:
Lunched as usual; sledges got buried again at lunch-time. It takes some time to camp now, and in this drift it is awful.
In the afternoon wind eased a bit and drift went down. Found it very hard pulling with the third man on sledge, as Hayward has been on all the afternoon. Wind veered two points to south, so we had a fair wind.
An hour before we camped Erebus and Terror showing up, a welcome sight. Only hope wind will continue. Drift is worst thing to contend with as it gets into our clothes, which are wet through now.
Hayward’s symptoms are gums very swollen + turning black. Joints of legs swollen + black feet. Cannot hardly press on them. Elbows stiff + sore. Pupils of eye enlarged so no mistake it is scurvy + the only possible cure is fresh food + I sincerely hope the ship is in – if not we shall get over the hills by Castle Rock which is rather difficult + will delay another couple of days.
Smith is still cheerful he has not hardly moved for weeks he has to have everything done for him.
Skipper is not so cheerful. He seems to be worsening. day before yesterday when we were travelling he fell off the sledge 2 or 3 times + in this heavy wind + drift it is impossible to hear anyone shout. I told him if he did not shout as soon as he fell he would be left behind he said it would be a good job.32
They were now within 50 miles of Hut Point.
5 March 1916
Like the previous day they struggled on. With a mild blizzard blowing they could see nothing, so they would just plod along in the thick blank whiteness. It was very depressing work. And conditions at night were becoming abhorrent, with the ice in their sleeping bags melting as they lay in them. Richards recalled that this particular time, early March 1916, was one of the saddest periods of the whole sledging journey. It was very cold and the nights were closing in earlier and earlier every day. From about four o’clock in the afternoon it would be dark and they had no lights inside the tents. Richards’s strongest memory was that at night time they ‘did nothing but shiver’. They were in iced-up sleeping bags and wearing worn clothing so they had very little sleep. They would put on a woollen helmet and Richards remembered vividly the little bit of ice around his face would melt but he would ‘sort of get used to it dripping’ on his face. He recalled shivering violently all night long some nights. When he shivered, it was not just a shiver; to Richards ‘it was a jumping of the body’. His whole body shook as it tried to keep a blood circulation going.33
Twelve months earlier, Mackintosh, on the way back to Hut Point with Joyce and Wild, often wrote on the trials and tribulations of a frozen sleeping bag:
As a matter of fact the bags are bags in name only for as we straighten them out it crackles and crunches like as if we were breaking a piece of wood and it is more in the form of a board when laid out. When all else is done we get in! The inside fur is a mass of ice, congealed from my breath.
One creeps into the bag, toggles up with half-frozen fingers, and hears the crackling of the ice. Presently drops of thawing ice are falling on one’s head. Then comes a fit of shivers. You rub yourself and turn over to warm the side of the bag which has been uppermost. A puddle of water forms under the body.
After about two hours you may doze off, but I always wake with the feeling that I have not slept a wink.34
And here is another Mackintosh mid-March diary note from the year before:
Had a hoosh and a yarn and then unfolded our frozen boards (bags once!) and placed our bodies inside, the prior greeting – the cold ice against your fingers as you separated the flap of the bag, open it then in go your legs followed by the rest of your body so apart from the ice crackling as you get in nothing happens, but after this down goes your head which meets a shower of snow and ice, you ease the flap over and toggle up – the toggling generally takes a little time as the fingers ‘go’ but this is eventually accomplished you are prepared for sleep.
The warmth from the body now sets up a thaw, you turn and shift position, but all is damp while at this stage, the ice resting against the helmet close to cheek, made that part so cold that it started my tooth going. I turned helmet round and made things better; all our clothes, the top ones, are damp.
Towards early morning the temperature falling, everything froze again, this caused feet to get cold, the cold gradually creeping up body, until shivering commenced and then you shivered until till getting up time brought relief.35
Hayward had written then:
It is really unfair to tax anybody’s imagination, to the extent required to obtain anything like a fair average idea of the hideous night, the weather & the sleeping bag contr
ived to make last night for me, I will only say that I have never had to contend with anything like it & hope I may never have to again.36
Spencer-Smith was now taking opium. In an interview in 1976 Richards thought back and remembered they had a medicine chest with some poisons in it: some cocaine tablets, opium and strychnine. He had no idea what the strychnine was for.37 They could not yet see the next food depot yet, one of three that Cope and his party had laid down in 1915, all within 40 miles of Hut Point.
Hayward summed up the day in a few words: ‘Bright. Under way 9 o/c AM all started, drift very hard going in places. 10 M for day.’ 38
Wild: ‘Saw a skua gull this morning.’39 (This indicated they were now close to the sea.)
Joyce maintained his diary:
Sledge going hard, especially in soft places. If Hayward had not broken down we should not feel the weight so much. Wind and drift very heavy. A good job it is blowing some, or else we should have to relay. All land obscured.
Sun shining brightly + no wind, it seemed strange last night. no flapping of tent in ones ears, about 8.30 came on to drift again under way 9.20 both sails set. sledge going hard especially in soft places if Hayward had not give in we should not feel the weight so much. Lunch 12.45.
Under weigh at 3 wind + drift very heavy a good job it is blowing some or else we should have to relay all land obscured Distance about 10 or 11 miles a very good performance Camped 7.10 in the dark.
Patients not in the best of trim. I hope to get in bar accidents in 4 days.40
Spencer-Smith:
Calm till breakfast and then a good southerly (with drift) and sunshine helped a lot. The afternoon was dull and overcast, but the days trek is about 10 m.: no sign of Cope’s No. 3 Depot.
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