Voyage Of Discovery

As a child I knew a little about Scott and Shackleton, who had explored Antarctica in the first quarter of C20.

I think there was much more regard for "heroes" than for "celebrities" 50 or 60 years ago. The guests interviewed on "This Is Your Life" were more often people who had contributed something to society than just been TV entertainers. We were encouraged to aspire to do good things, be good people - not strive to be "rich and famous".

 I watched John Mills in Scott of the Antarctic**

Personally I could not understand why anyone would want to go somewhere that cold, and far away, leaving young wives and children behind... But I understood that they wanted to learn more about the world and share that knowledge. Shackleton and Scott were inspiring leaders, and there seemed to be no shortages of applicants to travel with them.

So I was pleased that we'd have the opportunity to see their ship RRS Discovery when we got to Dundee. These people were the celebrities of their day, and any company which supplied food or equipment to the expeditions were quick to advertise it. Their clothing was so heavy and thick - no "performance" fabrics, lightweight fleece garments, or Goretex waterproofing. And it was far too cold to strip off and change. 

Can you imagine wearing the same clothes for 93 days? [even girls doing the 100 day dress challenge wear fresh underwear daily, I hope] 

As we looked round the exhibition, I was struck by the men's diligence in recording all they found. Edwin Wilson made meticulous notes and drew beautiful illustrations of the flora and fauna. They entertained one another with concert parties and a newspaper produced on a typewriter. 

As we went round, it was Wilsonwho fascinated me most. He was amazingly gifted - a trained doctor, a gifted artist, an enthusiastic naturalist. He was Assistant Surgeon on the 1901—1904 expedition with Scott and Shackleton on Discovery, then returned in 1910 with Scott on Terra Nova for the ill-fated Polar Expedition. Wilson's drawings were meticulous, and he was clearly a valued member of these expeditions. He was a good and gracious man, a reliable friend, always thinking of others. In his student days he had done volunteer work in a Mission in Battersea helping the needy. It was here that he met his wife Oriana - and left her just a few weeks after their wedding to go to the South Pole. How incredibly sad! 

The officers and ratings had very different quarters on board ship. Lower ranks were squashed into a small space, and took turns in sleeping in hammocks. Food was served on enamel plates - but the officers had separate cabins, and dined at a mahogany table, with white Irish-linen-and-lace cloth, and fine china. Actually the officers were in the coldest part of the ship - the men living cheek by jowl in the room next to the galley kitchen were much warmer. 

Although RRS Discovery is in dry dock, I did not really enjoy going below decks, I felt that the ship was creaking and moving in the water. Bob felt fine, he said it was my overactive imagination [in my defence, my damaged glasses did mean I found it hard to focus!] 

Were these men brave, or foolhardy? Or a little of both? Three weeks on from my visit, I am still pondering... 

** coincidentally this film is on TV this week! Wednesday, 3pm on the Talking Pictures channel. Grab a blanket and a mug of cocoa, as you will feel cold when you see all that ice [even though it was filmed in the Ealing Studios!]