Here's a Picture my Great Great Uncle Took 100 Years Ago Today

Henry Bowers sat at left.

That’s ace!!

big gloves…

wow. properly.

Night out with the lads in Newcastle in February?

Seriously though, that’s fantastic.

Can you post any info about it? [EDIT: Is it from this expedition – 1910-1913

I’m reading Graham Ratcliffe’s “A Day to Die For” at the moment (Everest book), so right in the mood for some arctic adventure stories 🙂

Wow. I was looking at some other pics in the paper today (I guess taken by your G Uncle), brave men.

wait a minute… they had self timers 100 years ago?

Epic.

I’m reading 90 Degrees North (Peter Fleming) at the moment. Heroes all of them.

Listened to this last week on Radio 4:
Superb programme, very humbling.

To Strive & Seek.

Sadly, the one featuring Henry Bowers has now fallen of the iPlayer, but the others are all worth a listen.

From the title I initial thought this might be about Hobbits. 🙂

My dad’s managed to track down a copy of a biography of him, I’m just waiting for him to finish it so I can read it.

This picture is actually at the pole and in the uncropped version you can see Bowers holding the cable release. He’s a great inspiration when I’m out on the bike and the weathers crap and my hands are a little cold.

Nice one. There’s an exhibition of this just opened at the central library in Edinburgh if that’s anywhere near you?

Wow! What a relation! I’m guessing it’s a big thing for your family? Lots of interest, memorabilia? Does the adventurous spirit pervade throughout?

Google goggles is great too, took a pic of the screen, 1st hit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scott%27s_party_at_the_South_Pole.jpg

edit: or i could have followed the image url!

I’m in Brighton so a bit out of the way, but I’d like to get to Cambridge this year to visit the Scott Polar Research Centre.

Night out with the lads in Newcastle in February?

Not likely they’ve got coats on, must be somewhere down south.

The expedition linked above often makes me wonder if their spirits had been crushed knowing they were 35 days late. Imagine it. I know the conditions made overland travel impossible and supplies ran out but a persons spirit can prolong his/her life.

What a story for the family!

Respect to the Polar team.

what a miserable bunch!
have they just been told they now have to go back home to their wives. ha!

Dave

That’s excellent.

I used to work in Greenock just along from his house that is marked with a plaque on the Esplanade.

One thing never to forget about Scotts expedition,was it wasn’t a light weight sprint without any real scientific value, un-like the Norwegians!

The expedition linked above often makes me wonder if their spirits had been crushed knowing they were 35 days late

Very likely I think. Another major factor was the decision to take Oates and Evans to the Pole. Oates was suffering with an old war wound and Evans had cut his hand badly but concealed from Scott just how badly as he didn’t want to let him down. In the intense cold it wouldn’t heal and eventually killed him. Had Scott sent Oates and Evans back and taken Cherry-Garrard instead they might have had a much better chance. Cherry-Garrard Wilson and Bowers had shown just how tough they were the previous year in their trip to Cape Crozier described in Cherry-Garrard’s book the Worst Journey in the World. Bowers himself was not meant to be in the final party to the pole but Scott realised he needed his navigational skills and so 5 rather than 4 made the final journey.

Excellent pic. Captain Oates is on our family tree & we have a few bits n bobs the museums don’t. 😉

If you get chance, take a look at Max Jones, The Last Great Quest – one of the best books about the Edwardian generation let alone polar expeditions.

That is a very humbling picture, I always have a shiver down my spine when I see great men such as them.
I was lucky enough to know of Peter Scott and Frank Hurley (of Ernest Shackleton fame) through my father who was a member of the Royal Society

Fantastic.

Excellent!

I used to live across the road from the Oates family home in Putney.

Those guys were proper explorers, equivalent to the Apollo programme in being just totally “out there”.

Wow! Such tough guys – so bloody difficult!

Scott Polar museum well worth a visit, now have many of Scott’s hand written letters to his family. Must have been very dusty in the Museum when I was there.

Wow. Great piece of history to find 😀

Scott Polar Research Institute museum is great – not a huge display, but I went there quite a few times when I lived in Cambridge. Can also second the Max Jones book recommended above.

great thread

Thats brilliant! well done for brightening up my day.

peterfile – Member
Night out with the lads in Newcastle in February?

Seriously though, that’s fantastic.

Can you post any info about it? [EDIT: Is it from this expedition – 1910-1913

I’m reading Graham Ratcliffe’s “A Day to Die For” at the moment (Everest book), so right in the mood for some arctic adventure stories

Posted 16 hours ago # Report-Post

Check out Ed Vestercrnfuf(?) account of climbing K2 and 8’000’ERS,he also talks about the disaster.

A fantastic photo.

I can’t imagine what it takes to give you the mindset to go out and explore such a cold, unforgiving place.

I know a girl from where I live, now residing in San Francisco who is a relative of Earnest Shakelton.
The book about Apsley Cheery is also well worth a read.

Amazing!

I bought the Great White Silence a little while back, fabulous film – restored print of the documentary shot during the expedition.

Superb pic.

Great thread !

“Great Great Uncle Took”

You are Peregrin Brandybuck and I claim my £5.

Ran Feinnes book about Scott quoted how Scott thought Bowers to be the toughest, most energetic chap out of a group of very tough blokes. He looks it in that picture.