Scott
In 1902, the British Royal Society and Royal Geographic Society sent a British scientific team down to Antarctica to gain as much information as possible about the land and the climate for scientific studies. This expedition was led by Robert Falcon Scott.
In the months leading up to his departure, Scott tried to find out as much as possible about polar conditions. He became friends with Nansen - a Norwegian explorer - who helped him to choose equipment and stores for the expedition.
Scott took luxuries such as roast pheasants, rump steak and champagne for special occasions to keep the crew happy. Despite the cramped conditions of the voyage, they also took theatrical gear to keep themselves amused during the long dark days of winter.
Scott found refuge for their wintering quarters, Discovery Base, at Hut Point in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Many expeditions went out from Discovery Base, the most famous of which was the expedition by Scott, Bill Wilson and Ernest Shackleton in their attempt to reach the South Pole.
They travelled 1600km (994 miles) on a journey that took 93 days to complete. During the journey all the dogs perished, leaving the three men to drag 77kg (170lbs) each.
Their daily hand-outs of food were a mere 800g (28oz) per person. Shackleton, in particular, became very sick with scurvy on this trip. He had dark angry-looking gums and was spitting up blood in coughing fits. He also collapsed a couple of times, so Scott and Wilson ended up having to haul Shackleton on a sledge for the last part of the journey.
On return to their ship Discovery, they found it imprisoned by six foot thick pack ice. The relief ship Morning was able to drop off supplies, but Scott realised that the Discovery was going to have to wait out another winter.
A year later, in January 1904, final attempts at blasting Discovery from her icy firmhold proved successful, and accompanied by relief ships Morning and Terra Nova, she was homeward bound.
Scott returned to England to become an international hero for his pioneering trip into the Antarctic.
On 1 June 1910, the Terra Nova sailed from England led by Scott with a highly respected team of naturalists, geologists and meteorologists. Their primary goal was to be the first to reach the South Pole. On route to Antarctica, Scott received a disturbing telegram. It read: "Beg leave inform you proceeding Antarctic, Amundsen". Amundsen became very unpopular with the British, and newspapers critcised him for making his plans secret.
The polar party set out from their new hut at Cape Evans on 1 November 1911. The entire expedition consisted of 16 men, 10 ponies and 233 dogs. Despite the Norwegians' total dependence on dogs, the British were not successful with them, so one after one the dogs were shot and eaten. The ponies proved totally unsuitable to the polar conditions, so to put them out of their misery, the last of the ponies were shot at the foot of the Beardmore Glacier.
The remaining polar party consisted of five men - Robert F. Scott, Bill Wilson, Henry "Birdie" Bowers, Petty Officer Evans and Captain "Titus" Oates - trudged on, manhauling the sledges across the seemingly endless Polar Platea. On 16 Janauary they spotted a black marker flag fluttering in the breeze. Scott wrote: "The worst has happened. The Norwegians are first at the Pole ... All dreams must go". Then, on 17 January 1912, when they actually arrived at the South Pole, he added: "The Pole. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected ... Great God! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority". His despair was obvious.
Their homeward journey proved to be very difficult. With weakened bodies and heavy hearts, the first to die was Petty Officer Evans. He was a big man and probably suffered more than anyone for the lack of nutrition. His death, although blamed on a fall, was most likely to have been as a result of scurvy. Then, on 17 March, "Titus" Oates, who was in agony with frostbite and gangrene in his feet, walked to his death on the morning of his 32nd birthday, saying: "I am just going outside, and may be some time".
The three remaining men continued to within 18km (11 miles) of their next food depot, but in their exhausted state and with a terrible run of blizzards, they never made it. Scott's letters and journal entries in these last few days touched the hearts of the British public. It is probably for this reason that his ill-fated expedition partially overshadowed the triumph of Amundsen's victory.