Two Antarctic explorers who followed in the footsteps of the great explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, will talk about experiences when they visit a Wye school.
BBC2’s Timewatch featured the remarkable story of a trio of men who emulated the epic bid by Shackleton’s team to be the first to reach the South Pole.
What was remarkable about their expedition is that each of them is a descendant of a member of Shackleton’s original Antarctic exploration team.
In November 1908, Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition set out to reach the South Pole.
They travelled further south than any man had ever done and walked over 800 miles across frozen seas, up the formidable Beardmore Glacier climbing 10,000 feet.
On January 9, 1909, Shackleton recorded in his diary how, having reduced rations and experiencing the most inhospitable conditions imaginable, including temperatures of -50u02DAC, he had reached 88° 23’S 162° 0’E, a point within 100 miles of the South Pole before turning back for the sake of survival.
Exactly 100 years later in November 2008, his descendants set out to complete unfinished family business.
Lt Col Henry Worsley, Henry Adams and Will Gow endured similar adverse conditions as they followed their ancestors’ footsteps.
On January 9 last year, in temperatures of -35u02DAC the expedition team travelled the final 11-12 miles to reach the 97 mile point, the “farthest south” that Shackleton had reached.
Seven days later they reached the pole, exhausted but exhilarated. In an extraordinary coincidence three members of the 2008 team have a strong connection with Wye’s Spring Grove School.
Before leaving, Lt Col Worsley spoke to the Spring Grove pupils, among whom are his niece and nephew, Angus and Imogen Stainton.
The connection with the school is all the stronger as Henry Adams’ sister attended the school and Will Gow himself was a pupil at Spring Grove.
The links will be cemented when Henry Worsley and Will Gow return to Spring Grove on Friday, June 5, at 7.30pm to give a talk. All are welcome. Tickets cost £10 (children free). Money raised will go to the Shackleton Foundation.
uE06E Call the school office on 01233 812337.