Scott Robert Falcon - Journals: Captain Scotts Last Expedition

OXFORD WORLDS CLASSICS

JOURNALS

ROBERT FALCON SCOTT was born in Devon in 1868, the third of six children in a prosperous family. He passed the Royal Navys entrance examination and joined the training ship HMS Britannia a month after his thirteenth birthday. Thereafter he rose steadily through the ranks until he was made a full lieutenant in 1889. In 1894 his father was declared bankrupt and died three years later; Scott was forced to help support his mother and unmarried sisters. He had been serving on HMS Majestic when Clements Markham appointed him as Commander of the National Antarctic Expedition 19014 on board the Discovery. The expedition brought him success and fame, and promotion to Captain. Stung by Shackletons march to within 100 miles of the South Pole in 1909, Scott organized a second expedition, and the Terra Nova set sail for the Antarctic in 1910. Beaten to the Pole by Amundsen, Scott and four of his companions died on their march back to safety in March 1912. Scotts gripping journals charting the expeditions progress and tragic end were first published in 1913 and remained in print for most of the century, an icon of national heroism.

MAX JONES was educated at Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of California at Berkeley. Formerly a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Christs College, Cambridge, he is currently Programme Director of the MA in Modern British History at the University of Manchester. He is the author of The Last Great Quest: Captain Scotts Antarctic Sacrifice (2003).

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First published as an Oxford Worlds Classics paperback 2006

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WHILE preparing this edition for publication, I have benefited greatly from the assistance of many individuals and institutions. The commitment, patience, and astute comments of my editor, Judith Luna, proved invaluable throughout the process. Virginia Murray offered exemplary guidance through the papers of Scotts original publisher, Smith, Elder (now part of the John Murray Collection), helping to unearth a wealth of previously unpublished material which has enriched this edition. After I had worked through Scotts account of the polar journey, Francis Dodsworth meticulously compared Scotts base journals with the published version, presenting his findings with characteristic efficiency. Susan Bayly, Robert Blyth, Bob Headland, Rory Rapple, Shirley Sawtell, the Milton online discussion group, and, in particular, Gareth Rees and Beau Riffenburgh were generous with their expertise. Any errors which remain are, of course, my own. The team at OUP, including copy-editors Elizabeth Stratford and Edwin Pritchard, have done a fine job.

The John Murray Collection, Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), Alpine Club, Lord Kennet, and Lady Philippa Scott generously granted permission to reproduce copyright text and images in this edition. The staff at SPRI, the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, and the university libraries of Bristol and Cambridge, provided efficient support throughout, while William Frame and his colleagues at the British Library kindly arranged for me to consult Scotts original notebooks.

Both Christs College, Cambridge, and the new School of Arts, Histories, and Cultures at the University of Manchester provided wonderful environments to pursue research, and Penny Summerfields thoughts on diaries in particular helped shape the Introduction. I do not have space to list all the scholars who have assisted my work on Captain Scott over the years, but I am particularly grateful to David Cannadine, Peter Clarke, Klaus Dodds, Tom Laqueur, Tom Metcalf, and Jay Winter, while Peter Straus has helped me navigate the literary world. Final thanks, as always, to my parents, George and Diana, and to Sarah, Isabelle, and Oscar, for keeping me warm amidst the ice.

, by Clements R. Markham

CHAPTER I
THROUGH STORMY SEAS

General StowageA Last Scene in New ZealandDepartureOn
Deck with the DogsThe StormThe Engine-room Flooded
Clearing the PumpsCape Crozier as a StationBirds of the
SouthA Ponys MemoryTabular BergsAn Incomparable
SceneFormation of the PackMovements of the Floes

CHAPTER II
IN THE PACK

A Reported IslandIncessant ChangesThe Imprisoning
IceSki-ing and Sledging on the FloesMovement of Bergs
Opening of the PackA Damaged RudderTo Stop or not to
StopNicknamesSki ExercisePenguins and Music
Composite FloesBanked FiresChristmas in the IceThe
Penguins and the SkuaIce MovementsState of the Ice-house
Still in the IceLife in the PackEscape from the PackA
CalmThe Pack far to the NorthScience in the Ice

CHAPTER III
LAND

Land at LastReach Cape CrozierCliffs of Cape Crozier
Landing ImpossiblePenguins and KillersCape Evans as Winter
StationThe Ponies LandedPenguins Fatuous Conduct
Adventure with Killer WhalesHabits of the Killer Whale