plasmon: a soluble milk protein added as a supplement to polar sledging rations, notably cocoa and sledging biscuits; it was a trade name of the Plasmon Manufacturing Company
Plimsoll line: a line or set of lines on the hull of a ship that indicate the depth to which it may be legally loaded under specified conditions
rotifer: any of various minute, multi-cellular aquatic organisms of the phylum Rotifera, having at the anterior end a wheel-like ring of cilia
sastrugi: wind-blown ridges in snow
screwed ice: sea ice ground together under pressure as one floe pushes against another, and heaped in piles as a result
sennegrass: the sedge Carex vesicaria from Scandinavia, which when dried was used in finnesko to keep the feet warm. Moisture absorbed by the fibres could be shaken out when frozen and the fibres used again.
seracs: sharp, irregular ridges or pinnacles of ice that appear on the surface of a glacier where it rides over an unusually rough or inclined bottom. A field of such pinnacles, jammed together in broken confusion, is called serac ice.
skua: a large, predatory bird of the genus Catharacta. In the Antarctic, it is one of the primary predators of penguin chicks
sledgemeter: a wheel hooked to a sledge that measures the distance travelled
snow bridge: an arch of snow spanning a crevasse or a stream; frequently highly unstable and subject to collapse
tardigrade: any of various slow-moving microscopic invertebrates of the phylum Tardigrada, related to the arthropods and living in water or damp moss
trace: a rope or strap harness by which men or sledge dogs are connected to a sledge
yard: a long, tapering spar slung to a mast to support and spread the head of a sail
NOTES
The following abbreviations have been used in the notes:
Preface
'A short': Cecily Shackleton, interview with James Fisher, 1 July 1955; SPRI MS 1581/3/2/1
1 A Race for Life
'although a trifle': JEM, letter to EmS, 22 March 1908; SPRI MS 1537/2/17/1
'decidedly angry': RFS, The Voyage of the 'Discovery', vol. 2: 56
'suspicious looking': EAW, journal of BNAE, 24 December 1902; SPRI MS 232/2
'Got his': EHS, diary of BNAE, 26 December 1902; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'What we': EAW, journal of BNAE, 1 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'Did march': EHS, diary of BNAE, 7 January 1903; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'I suppose': RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 90-91
'Wilson and P: RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 95
'Tennyson's Ulysses': EHS, diary of BNAE, n January 1903; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'. . . that which': Alfred Tennyson, 'Ulysses', in Poems
'The food bag': RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 99
'of no small': EAW, journal of BNAE, 14 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'utterly useless': EAW, journal of BNAE, 14 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'Am much': EHS, diary of BNAE, 17 January 1903; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'splendid day': EHS, diary of BNAE, 21 January 1903; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'having a cruel': RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 114
'had it out': George Seaver, Edward Wilson of the Antarctic: 114
'home truths': George Seaver, Edward Wilson: 114
'the least': EAW, journal of BNAE, 26 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'the cold': EAW, journal of BNAE, 27 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'chock a block': EAW, journal of BNAE, 29 January 1903; SPRI MS 232/2
'His breathing': RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 120
'our invalid': RFS, Voyage, vol. 2: 122
'They appeared': Louis Bernacchi, journals of BNAE, 3 February 1903; SPRI MS 353/3/3
'I turned': EHS, diary of BNAE, 3 February 1903; SPRI MS 1537/3/5
2 A Product of Empire
'I contend': Cecil Rhodes, quoted in J.G. Lockhart and CM. Woodhouse, Rhodes: 68
'superior race': David Livingstone, quoted in J.P.R. Wallis, The Zambesi Expedition of David Livingstone, vol. 2: 416
'In the first': Joseph Chamberlain, quoted in Jeffrey Richards, Visions of Yesterday: 11
'the idea': John Morley, 'The Liberal programme': 364
'a great country': Benjamin Disraeli, quoted in W.F. Monypenny and G.E. Buckle, The Life of Benjamin Disraeli, vol. 2: 536
'the people': Beatrice and Sidney Webb, letter to Graham Wallas, 29 July 1892; quoted in L.P. Curtis, Anglo-Saxons and Celts: 63
'unmixed congratulation': Lord Salisbury, quoted in Andrew Roberts, Salisbury: 53
'wild, reckless': Benjamin Disraeli, quoted in J. Morris, Heaven's Command: 157
'a gravedigger': quoted in H.R. Mill, The Life of Ernest Shackleton: 21
'He loved': Eleanor Shackleton, letter to Margery Fisher, 22 January 1956; SPRI MS 1456/81
'This was': Kathleen Shackleton, letter to James Fisher, 27 November 1955; SPRI MS 1456/83
'Good morning': Kathleen Shackleton, letter to James Fisher, 27 November 1955; SPRI MS 1456/83
'He found': Frank Hurley, letter to Margery Fisher, 26 April 1956; SPRI MS 1456/78
'Lord Kitchener': Augustine Birrell, Things Past Redress: 218
'Upon entering': Lord Wolseley, The Story of a Soldier's Life, vol. 1: 272
'the very model': W.S. Gilbert, 'The Pirates of Penzance' or 'The Slave of Duty', in The Savay Operas: 120
'Shackleton was': J.G. Dunlop, letter to Margery Fisher, 1 May 1959; SPRI MS 1456/99
'adored him': Eleanor Shackleton, letter to Margery Fisher, 22 January 1956; SPRI MS 1456/81
'I read': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 43
'from what': Owen T. Burne, letter to H.R. Mill, 10 May 1922; SPRI MS 100/17
'Dr Jim': Lord Attlee, Empire into Commonwealth: 5-6
'I was more': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 43
'He had no': Eleanor Shackleton, letter to Margery Fisher, 22 January 1956; SPRI MS 1456/81
'He suddenly': Nicetas Petrides, letter to The Daily Telegraph, 3 April 1923; SPRI MS 100/91/1
'care tuppence': Mrs J.Q. Rowett, interview with James Fisher, 29 November 1955; SPRI MS 1456/75
'I never learned': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 42
'My father': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 42
3 Life at Sea, Love on Land
'When he': T. Peers, interview with James Fisher, 19 May 1957; SPRI MS 1456/74
'taught me': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 42-43
'I can tell': EHS, letter to Nicetas Petrides, 7 January 1892; SPRI MS 100/91/2
'It was one': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 42
'he is the': quoted in H.R. Mill, Life: 33
'but the first': EHS, letter to 'dearest Father, Mother, Grandmother, Brother and Sisters', 1890; quoted in H.R. Mill, Life: 31
'making': EHS, letter to Nicetas Petrides, 7 January 1892; SPRI MS 100/91/2
'I used to': Kathleen Shackleton, interview with James Fisher, 27 November 1955; SPRI MS 1581/3/4
'In the Empire': George Curzon, quoted in J. Morris, Pax Britannica: 122
'a whirlwind': T. Peers, interview with James Fisher, 19 May 1957; SPRI MS 1456/74
'We were loaded': T. Peers, interview with James Fisher, 19 May 1957; SPRI MS 1456/74
'I cannot': The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening News and Post, 11 July 1894
'That's a rum': Owen T. Burne, letter to H.R. Mill, 10 May 1922; SPRI MS 100/17
'I dreamt': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 44
'Ernest had': Kathleen Shackleton, letter to James Fisher, 27 November 1955; SPRI MS 1456/83
'I greatly': A.B. Cooper, 'How I Began': 43
'a marked': J. Dunsmore, 'Shackleton of the SS "Flintshire"': 213
'Well, Shacky': J. Dunsmore, 'Shackleton of the SS "Flintshire"': 213
'He told me': EmS, letter to H.R. Mill, 28 June 1922; SPRI MS 100/104/29
4 War or an Unknown Place?
'Wednesday, Thursday': Henry Rawlinson, diary, 19 September 1899; Sir Anthony Rawlinson
'to avoid': Joseph Chamberlain, le
tter to Lord Lansdowne, 5 October 1899; quoted in Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War: 93
'bluff up': Joseph Chamberlain, letter to Lord Lansdowne, 5 October 1899; quoted in Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War: 93
'with the aid': Henry Rawlinson, diary, 19 September 1899; Sir Anthony Rawlinson
'less interesting': Henry Rawlinson, diary, 19 September 1899; Sir Anthony Rawlinson
'The voyage': Henry Rawlinson, diary; Sir Anthony Rawlinson
'He at once': J.A. Hussey, letter to H.R. Mill, 18 June 1922; SPRI MS 100/49/1-5
'I saw': EmS, letter to H.R. Mill, 25 May 1922; SPRI MS 100/104/20
'What are you': L.D.A. Hussey, interview with James Fisher, 12 November 1955; SPRI MS 1581/3/1
'The Boers': Henry Rawlinson, diary, 7-11 October 1899; Sir Anthony Rawlinson
'Our days': Bertha Synge, letter to Alfred Milner, 3 November 1899; quoted in C. Headlam, The Milner Papers: 44
'An unexpected': W.W..L. McLean and E.H. Shackleton, O.H.M.S.
'It is good': F.D. Baillie, Mafeking: A Diary of the Siege: 270
'the nearest': John Greenleaf Whittier, quoted in A.E. Keeling, General Gordon: Hero and Saint: 9
'An irresistible': Jules Ferry, quoted in H. Brunschwig, Trench Colonialism Myths and Realities: 82
'it is perhaps': Charles E. Callwell, Small Wars: Their Principles and Practice: 44
'Beyond the geographical': Anthony Fiala, Fighting the Polar Ice: 4
'I am doomed': Joseph Thomson, letter to J.B. Thomson, 1895; quoted in Alan Moorehead, The White Nile: 121
'All this': John Morley, quoted in J. Morris, Pax Britannica: 102
'he was attracted': J.A. Hussey, letter to H.R. Mill, 27 July 1922; SPRI MS 100/ 49/1-5
'he was going': Cecily Shackleton, interview with James Fisher, 1 July 1955; SPRI MS 1581/3/2/1
5 The Making of the British National Antarctic Expedition
'the exploration': J. Scott Keltie and H.R. Mill, Report of the Sixth International Geographical Congress: 780
'a school': C.R. Markham, The Lands of Silence: 174
'has had no': 'The National Antarctic Expedition', Nature, 64 (16): 103
'These mud': C.R. Markham, letter to J. Scott Keltie, 24 July 1899; quoted in Roland Huntford, Shackleton: 37
'quite exhausted': C.R. Markham, Antarctic Obsession: 142
'would turn': C.R. Markham, Antarctic Obsession: 142
'Scott said': Albert Armitage, Memo on Sir E.H. Shackleton to H.R. Mill, 24 May 1922; SPRI MS 367/1
'I thought': Albert Armitage, Memo on Sir E.H. Shackleton to H.R. Mill, 24 May 1922; SPRI MS 367/1
'Scott was': C.R. Markham, Antarctic Obsession: 15
'Shackleton had': C.R. Markham, Antarctic Obsession: 32
'We were armed': Kathleen Shackleton, letter to James Fisher, 27 November 1955; SPRI MS 1456/83
'As for me': EHS, letter to Charles Dorman, 3 August 1901; SPRI MS 1537/2/5/3
6 The Great White South
'We set': EHS, diary aboard Discovery, 16 August 1901; Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales ML ref B 1456: CY Reel 1047; Mrs Anne M. Fright
'poo poohed': Charles Royds, diary of BNAE, 23 August 1901; Sir Richard Eyre
'Shackleton went': Charles Royds, diary of BNAE, 23 August 1901; Sir Richard Eyre
'soaking': EAW, journal of BNAE, 23 August 1901; SPRI MS 232/1
'I see wide': EHS, diary aboard Discovery, 25 August 1901; Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales ML ref B 1456: CY Reel 1047; Mrs Anne M. Fright
'found the minute': H.R. Mill, The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton: 61
'To Shackleton': H.R. Mill, Life: 57
'has quite taken': EAW, journal of BNAE, 19 August 1901; SPRI MS 232/1
'There was always': J.W. Dell, interview with James Fisher, 10 October 1955; SPRI MS 1456/66
'There was the Navy': J.W. Dell, interview with James Fisher, 10 October 1955; SPRI MS 1456/66
'absolutely Navy': J.W. Dell, interview with James Fisher, 10 October 1955; SPRI MS 1456/66
'a grand shipmate': Michael Barne, interview with James Fisher, 16 October 1955; SPRI MS 1456/64
'he was rather': J.W. Dell, interview with James Fisher, 10 October 1955; SPRI MS 1456/66
'although Shackleton': Louis Bernacchi, Saga of the 'Discovery': 218
'object was': William Edward Parry, Journal of a Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage: 125
'There were literally': EAW, journal of BNAE, 8 January 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'It is a unique': EHS, diary of BNAE, 1 February 1902; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/1
'skiing did': RFS, Voyage, vol. 1: 195
'the first': RFS, Voyage, vol. 1: 147
'perfect madness': EAW, journal of BNAE, 4 February 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'be of little': RFS, diaries of BNAE, 14 February 1902; SPRI MS 352/1/2
'Simply done': EAW, journal of BNAE, 19 February 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'They dressed': EAW, journal of BNAE, 19 February 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'As far south': EAW, journal of BNAE, 20 February 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'we slept': EAW, journal of BNAE, 22 February 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'full of talk': Charles Royds, diary of BNAE, 22 February 1902; Sir Richard Eyre
'immediately started': Reginald Skelton, journals of BNAE, 22 February 1902; SPRI MS 342/1/2
'There were over': FW, Article notes; SPRI MS 944/3
'Apart from': FW, Memoirs: 15-16; Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales ML MSS 2198/1: CY Reel 15; Mrs Anne M. Fright
'It was certainly': C.H. Hare, letter to Margery Fisher, 30 December 1955; SPRI MS 1456/104
'something like': Albert Armitage, Two Years in the Antarctic
'aptitude for': Louis Bernacchi, Saga: 218
'the sun': EHS, diary of BNAE, 23 April 1902; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/1
'is still my': EAW, letter to O. Wilson; quoted in George Seaver, Edward Wilson: 104
'My surprise': EAW, journal of BNAE, 12 June 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'he need hardly': EAW, journal of BNAE, 12 June 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
'I feel more': EAW, letter to O. Wilson; quoted in George Seaver, Edward Wilson: 106
'is to get': EAW, journal of BNAE, 12 June 1902; SPRI MS 232/1
7 The Southern Journey
'A calm': EAW, journal of BNAE, 22 August 1902; SPRI MS 232/2
'I was under': Edgar Evans, quoted in Margery Fisher and James Fisher, Shackleton: 37
'competitions': Louis Bernacchi, Saga of the 'Discovery': 63
'Scoffed unmercifully': RFS, The Voyage of the 'Discovery', vol 1: 390
'While they': Reginald Skelton, journals of BNAE, 10 September 1902; SPRI MS 342/1/5
'The benefit': Reginald Koettlitz, 'The British Antarctic Expedition': 342-43
'Several times': Albert Armitage, Memo on Sir E.H. Shackleton to H.R. Mill, 24 May 1922; SPRI MS 367/1
'Beloved': EHS, letter to Emily Dorman, 1 November 1902; SPRI MS 1537/2/4/5
'Only once': EAW, letter to O. Wilson, quoted in George Seaver, Edward Wilson: 104-05
'three polar knights': Louis Bernacchi, journals of BNAE, 2 November 1902; SPRI MS 353/3
'most persistent': EAW, journal of BNAE, 6 November 1902; SPRI MS 232/2
'after a few': RFS, Voyage, Vol. 2: 24
'losing all': RFS, Voyage, Vol. 2: 24
'steadily melting': RFS, diaries of BNAE, 21 November 1902; SPRI MS 1464/3
'The common': Martin Conway, With Ski and Sledge over Arctic Glaciers: 194,90
'Having taken': Charles Royds, diary of BNAE, 12 March 1902; Sir Richard Eyre
'What a little': EHS, diary of BNAE, 20 November 1902; SPRI MS 1537/3/4/2
'at his best': H.R. Mill, An Autobiography: 151
'he permitted': Louis Bernacchi, Saga: 219
'Come here': Albert Armitage, Memo on Sir E.H. Shackleton to H.R. Mill, 24 May 1922; SPRI MS 367/1
Shackleton’s Forgotten Expedition Page 39
