Praise for Shackleton ‘As a buccaneering Edwardian adventurer, as chaotic and hapless in his private life as he was dynamic in his public exploits, [Shackleton] is rescued by Michael Smith’s genial biography as a flawed, enduring inspiration.’ The Times ‘A rich volume, written in a passionate, engaging style that makes it a compelling read, full of nuanced conclusions about many of Shackleton’s formative life moments, and meticulously researched, as with all of Michael Smith’s work.’ The Irish Times ‘Absorb[ing]… a fair and rounded picture of a man who was a great companion and leader in a tight corner but possibly better viewed across an iceberg than across a boardroom table or a marital bedroom.’ Country Life ‘Fast-moving and gripping… Michael Smith’s biography shows us a complex multi-faceted man.’ Scottish Review of Books ‘Diligently researched with extensive quotation… a welcome addition to the library of the polar aficionado.’ Literary Review 00 Shackleton1 OneWorld pb prelims Revised.indd 1 05/03/2015 11:01 Also by Michael Smith An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean – Antarctic Survivor I Am Just Going Outside: The Tragedy of Captain Oates Tom Crean – Ice Man: The Adventures of an Irish Antarctic Hero Polar Crusader: A Life of James Wordie Shackleton – The Boss: The Remarkable Adventures of a Heroic Antarctic Explorer Captain Francis Crozier: Last Man Standing? Tom Crean: An Illustrated Life Great Endeavour: Ireland’s Antarctic Explorers About the author Michael Smith, a former journalist, is an established authority on polar exploration. He has written a number of books including An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean Antarctic Survivor, which was shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Book Festival 2002. The illustrated version was shortlisted for the Irish Published Book of the Year 2007. He contributes to TV and radio documentaries and lectures on polar history. 00 Shackleton1 OneWorld pb prelims Revised.indd 2 05/03/2015 11:01 00 Shackleton1 OneWorld pb prelims Revised.indd 3 05/03/2015 11:01 A Oneworld Book First published in North America, Great Britain & Australia by Oneworld Publications 2014 This paperback edition published 2015 Shackleton: By Endurance We Conquer is published by permission of The Collins Press, Cork, Ireland, www.collinspress.ie Copyright © Michael Smith 2014 The moral right of Michael Smith to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved Copyright under Berne Convention A CIP record of this title is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-78074-707-1 eISBN 978-1-78074-573-2 Typesetting by Carrigboy Typesetting Services Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc Oneworld Publications 10 Bloomsbury Street London WC1B 3SR England Stay up to date with the latest books, special offers, and exclusive content from Oneworld with our .monthly newsletter Sign up on our website www.oneworld-publications.com 00 Shackleton1 OneWorld pb prelims Revised.indd 4 05/03/2015 11:01 To Barbara, Daniel, Nathan, Lucy and Zoe Contents Acknowledgements ix Author’s Note xi Introduction 1 1 Touching History 7 2 The Lonely Sea and the Sky 13 3 Love and Ambition 27 4 Laying the World at Her Feet 37 5 Fortune Hunting 49 6 A Hunger 55 7 Baptism by Ice 64 8 A Step into the Unknown 77 9 A Beeline 87 10 Rejection 94 11 Two Characters 99 12 Finding a Niche 118 13 Looking South 125 14 Dreams and Realities 134 15 Broken Promise 148 16 Ice and Men 158 17 Making Ready 164 18 South 174 19 Penniless 183 20 Gateway 188 21 ‘Death on his pale horse …’ 202 22 Home is the Hero 213 23 Arise, Sir Ernest 227 24 A Man of Parts 233 25 Unrest 243 26 Towering Ambition 252 27 Into the Pack 272 28 Imprisoned 283 29 Death of a Ship 295 viii Shackleton 30 Defiance 300 31 Into the Boats 315 32 A Dark Episode 323 33 Bleak Refuge 327 34 Scattered to the Winds 336 35 Epic Journey 342 36 South Georgia 351 37 Rescue 364 38 The Ross Sea Party 373 39 Adrift Again 383 40 The Last Quest 399 41 At Rest 412 Notes 419 Select Bibliography 426 Index 436 Acknowledgements his book arose from a lifelong interest in the history of polar Texploration and it would be impossible to thank everyone who has helped me over the years. Some have long since passed away, though their assistance, guidance and sound advice will never be forgotten. Equally, it would be impossible to thank all the archives, libraries, museums and personal collections I have benefited from over the years to inspect many records, papers and photographs relating to polar history. I am grateful to them all and any omissions are unintentional. Special thanks must go to: Athy Heritage Museum, Ireland; British Library, London; British Library Newspaper Archive, London; Canterbury Museum, New Zealand; Dulwich College, London; Edinburgh University Library, Scotland; Kerry County Museum, Tralee, County Kerry; Library and Museum of Freemasonry, London; National Archives, London; National Library of Scotland, Scotland; National Maritime Museum, London; Oldham Local Studies & Archives, Lancashire; Royal Geographical Society, London; Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge; Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand. I am especially grateful for the help given by: Mervyn Bassett, Beadle, The Skinners’ Company; Sheila Donaldson, Bingley & District Local History Society; Calista Lucy, Keeper of Archives at Dulwich College; Peter Aitkenhead and Captain David Swain, the Library and Museum of Freemasonry; Del Styan and Alistair Murphy of the Cromer Museum; Angela Heard-Shaw at the Hull History Centre; Aubrey Jones for access to Koettlitz Family Papers. My thanks go to Alexandra Shackleton, the granddaughter of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who allowed me access to material in the family possession. Jonathan Shackleton was also very helpful and willingly answered my questions. I am very grateful. Robert Burton has been an enthusiastic and generous source of information about polar affairs and especially South Georgia. Anne Savours willingly shared her voluminous knowledge of polar history. I am hugely grateful to them both. ix x Shackleton I must pass on a very special thanks to Seamus Taaffe for generously sharing his knowledge and information about polar history. Thanks must also go to Margaret Walsh at the Athy Heritage Museum for her patient and valued support. Joe O’Farrell was a source of wisdom and encouragement for which I am very grateful. I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Richard Green who generously allowed me access to Kilkea House and gave me a fine insight in the place where Shackleton was born. I am very grateful for the much-valued assistance of Dr Jim McAdam. Mary O’Connell was a source of inspiration. I am indebted to Dr Cathy Corbishley for her very valuable help with medical matters. Dr Ursula Rack, Adjunct Fellow, University of Canterbury was especially helpful regarding Felix König. Nan Keightley was an important help with my research and I am very grateful. Charles and Christine Dorman provided useful knowledge of Emily Dorman’s family. I also appreciate the help given by Rev. Heidi Huntley and Michael Kingston of St Bartholomew’s Church, Sydenham. I was also given generous assistance by Angie Butler on Frank Wild and by Helen Carpenter on John Quiller Rowett. Walter Hodder was generous with his understanding of the Dorman family connection with Wadhurst. Thanks are also due to the following for sharing their knowledge on a variety of matters: Ulf Bakke; Mike Barry; Caroline Bone; Con Collins; Arthur Credland; Rosemary Fulton-Hart; Eugene Furlong; Richard Graham; John James; Sarah Lurcock; John Mann; Maureen E. Mulvihill; Alistair Murphy; James Nethery; Frank Nugent; Robb N. Robinson; Peter Wordie. Where possible, I have identified all known sources of material used in this book and provided full accreditation where it can be properly established. Any omissions are purely unintentional and I would be pleased to correct any errors and oversights. Families play a vital supporting role in producing a book and I am proud and delighted to say that I have received enormous support from those closest to me. Daniel and Nathan, my sons, were always there when I needed them. Lucy and Zoe, my grandchildren, were simply … Lucy and Zoe! The help, patience and understanding of Barbara, my wife, has been supreme and I could not have coped without her. Author’s Note he original units of measurement for distances, temperatures and Tweights used at the time have been used in this book. Where appropriate, the modern conversions are shown. In some cases, distances were measured in both statute and geographic miles. For reference, a statute mile is 5,280 feet (1.61 kilometres) and a geographic mile is 6,080 feet (1.85 kilometres). For the purposes of consistency, distances are given in statute miles and any reference to geographic miles is explained. In both cases, a conversion to the modern metric equivalent is given. Temperatures are shown in Fahrenheit, the measurement widely used at the time. Approximate conversions to the more modern Celsius scale are shown where appropriate. For reference, water freezes at 32 °F (0 °C) and 0 °F is equal to -18 °C. The normal body temperature of 98.4 °F is equal to 36.9 °C. Weight measurement is generally shown in the avoirdupois scale common at the time and approximate conversions to metric are shown where appropriate. For reference, 100 lb is equivalent to 45 kilograms and 1 ton is equal to 1,016 kg. Places names are generally given as they were used in the Victorian/ Edwardian era.