Shackleton’s Crew

Meet the members of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09

Ernest Henry Shackleton

33, Commander

Born Kilkea, Ireland, 1874. Educated Dulwich College. Went to sea at 16. Commissioned sub-lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve, 1901. Member of ‘Farthest South’ Party of Scott’s Discovery expedition. Leader of the British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition 1907–09. Pioneered route up Beardmore Glacier and almost reached Geographic South Pole. Knighted on return. Leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–17. Died while leading Shackleton-Rowett (Quest) Expedition at South Georgia, 5 January 1922. Several Antarctic place names are named after him, including Shackleton Ice Shelf 94°55’E to 99°25’E.

Jameson Boyd Adams (Lieutenant)

27, Second-in-Command, Meteorologist

Born Lincolnshire, England, 1880. Lieutenant, Royal Naval Reserve. Member of the party to first climb Mount Erebus, March 1908, and of Furthest South Party. Served with distinction in two world wars. Knighted kcvo 1948. Died 1962. Mount Adams 84°26’S. 166°45’E.

Douglas Mawson

25, Physicist

Born Shipley, England, 5 May 1882. Family migrated to Australia, 1884. Educated Fort Street High School and University of Sydney. Member of the first ascent of Mount Erebus and of Western (South Magnetic Pole) Party. Leader Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911–14. Knighted 1914. Elected Fellow Royal Society 1923. Leader British, Australian, New Zealand Antarctic Expedition 1929–31. Died 1958. Mawson Glacier 76°12’S. 162°30’E.

Alistair Forbes Mackay

30, Assistant Surgeon

Born Argyllshire, Scotland, 1877. Signed on Nimrod at Poplar, 26 July 1907, discharged Antarctic Regions 22 January 1908 to serve on the shore party. Trooper in South African War, one of Baden Powell’s police. Navy surgeon for four years. Member of the first party to climb Mount Erebus and Western (South Magnetic Pole) Party. Lost in February 1914 on Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s Canadian Arctic Expedition. Mackay Glacier 76°57’S. 162°30’E.

Tannatt William Edgeworth David FRS (Professor)

49, Director of Scientific Staff

Born Wales, 1858. Educated at Magdalen School and New College, Oxford. Professor of Geology, Sydney University. Leader of the party to first climb Mount Erebus, and leader of the Western (South Magnetic Pole) Party. Lieutenant Colonel and awarded the DSO, 1918. Knighted 1920. Died 1934. David Glacier 75°20’S. 162°45’E.

Raymond Edward Priestley

21, Geologist

Born Tewkesbury, England, 1886. Educated at Bristol University College; Clare College, Cambridge. After the Nimrod expedition, returned south as geologist on the Terra Nova expedition. Member of the Northern Party. Decorated in the First World War. Joint founder of Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge. Vice-Chancellor Melbourne University 1935 and Birmingham University 1938. Knighted 1949. Died 1974. Mount Priestley 75°12’S. 161°25’E.

Bertram Armytage

38, In charge of ponies

Born Australia, 1869. Educated at Melbourne Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge. Commissioned Victorian Permanent Artillery, veteran South African War, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers). Leader Western (South Magnetic Pole) Party. Committed suicide in Melbourne, 1910.

Philip Lee Brocklehurst, Sir (Bart)

20, Assistant Geologist

Born Staffordshire, England, 1887. Educated at Eton and Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. Member of the party to first climb Mount Erebus. Served with Distinction in two world wars. Died 1975. Mount Brocklehurst 76°08’S. 160°55’E.

Bernard C Day

23, Motor expert

Born Wymondham, Leicestershire, England, 1884. Employed by the New Arrol–Johnston Motor Car Company before joining the Nimrod expedition. Also served on the Terra Nova expedition, returning home after one year. Settled in Australia. Applied to join the Ross Sea Relief Expedition 1916–17. Cape Day 76°16’S. 162°37’E.

William C Roberts

35, Cook and Assistant Zoologist

Born London, England, 1872. Cape Roberts 77°00’S. 162°50’E.

Ernest Edward Mills Joyce

32, In charge of dogs and sledges

Born Bognor, England, 1875. Joined the Royal Navy in 1891. Part of the Discovery expedition then left the navy to join the Nimrod expedition. Member of the Ross Sea Party. Awarded the Albert Medal in bronze. Died in London 1940. Mount Joyce 75°36’S. 160°38’E.

James Murray

42, Biologist/Naturalist

Born Glasgow, Scotland, 1865. Lost in February 1914 on Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s Canadian Arctic Expedition. Mount Murray 76°08’S. 162°00’E.

Eric Stewart Marshall

28, Surgeon and Cartographer

Born in England, 1879. Educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Initially studied for the Church. Entered St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1899 and qualified as a surgeon in 1906. Part of the party who first climbed Mount Erebus and of Shackleton’s party which reached ‘Farthest South’. Surgeon and assistant surveyor on a British expedition to Dutch New Guinea, 1909–11. Served in France and Russia during First World War, and honoured CBE 1919. Died February 1963. Marshall Mountains 84°40’S. 165°20’E.

Harry Dunlop

31, First Engineer

Born Belfast, Ireland, 1876. Signed on at Poplar 26 July 1907, discharged at Poplar, 31 August 1909, serving as First Engineer for both voyages south. Served his time with the world-famous engineering firm Harland and Wolff. Chief engineer on the Ashburton prior to joining the expedition. Dunlop Island 77°14’S. 163°30’E.

George Edward Marston

25, Artist

Born Portsmouth, England, 1882. Qualified art teacher, served also as artist on Weddell Sea Party. Died 1940. Mount Marston 76°55’S. 162°16’E.

Frank Wild

23, In charge of provisions

Born Yorkshire, England, 1874. Joined the Merchant Service in 1899 and Royal Navy in 1900. AB in Discovery. Member of the ‘Farthest South’ Party on the Nimrod expedition. Later was leader of Western Party AAE and second in command of the Weddell Sea Party of ITAE. Led an expedition to Spitzbergen in 1918–19. Second in command of the Quest expedition and leader after Shackleton’s death. Settled in Swaziland, 1922 and died in Johannesburg 1939. Mount Wild 84°50’S. 162°30’E.
Nimrod masters and crew .

John King Davis

23, First Officer

Born Kew, England, 1884. Educated at Colet Court, London, and Burford Grammar School, Oxfordshire. Went to sea at 16. First Officer SY Nimrod for both voyages south in support of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907–09. Received his first command aged 25 when he succeeded Captain FJ Evans as master of Nimrod on the return voyage to England after the expedition. Second in command of Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911–14, captain on Aurora Relief Expedition 1916–17, captain Discovery and second in command in the first summer of banzare (British, Australian, New Zealand Antarctic Research) Expedition 1929–31. Director of navigation for the Commonwealth of Australia until 1949. Died 1967. Several Antarctic place names are named after him, including Davis Glacier 75°45’S. 162°45’E.

Rupert A England (Lieutenant)

29, Master

Born Warthill, Yorkshire, England, 1878. Educated at Hill Grammar School. Served as Master for the first voyage south. First officer on Morning, 1902 and 1903. He then went to Nigeria for 12 months and after the expedition founded his own business. Served in First World War, and retired as lieutenant-commander rnr. Died 1942. Mount England 77°03’S. 162°27’E.

Frederick Pryce Evans (Lieutenant rnr)

34, Master

Born Newtown, Wales, 1874. Began at sea aged 18. Served as Master for the second voyage south. Was serving on the New Zealand coastal run when approached to command tow vessel Koonya. Commanded troop ships during First World War. Qualified in law and retired in Sydney. Died 1959. Evans Cove at 74°59’S. 163°47’E.