Polar Castaways: The Ross Sea Party of Sir Ernest Shackleton, 1914-17

by Richard McElrea, David Harrowfield

When Sir Ernest Shackleton's dreams of crossing Antarctica foundered with his ship Endurance in the ice of the Weddell Sea in October 1915, he could only wonder what had become of his support party on the other side of the continent. After almost ninety years Polar Castaways finally tells that story, filling one of the major gaps in the history of the heroic era' of polar exploration. The task of the Ross Sea component of the expedition was to lay the all-important depots in support of the traverse party to be led by Shackleton. preparation. Matters were made even worse when, in May 1915, their ship Aurora was carried away from its winter moorings, leaving ten men stranded and without proper equipment and supplies. At great personal hardship and cost they went on to lay the depots across the Ross Ice Shelf to Mount Hope. Three men died during this courageous and perilous endeavour. Aurora, refitted in New Zealand, eventually sailed south amidst considerable controversy to rescue the seven survivors.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[user8364891664 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been 5 stars if the book got a once-over by editors. There are extra letters and misplaced commas, and some of the source formatting is inconsistent.

Editing aside, I think this is my favorite Ross Sea party book. McElrea and Harrowfield did meticulous research. The list of sources is truly impressive. All viewpoints are represented, even the lesser-covered men like Jack and Gaze on land and Thomson and Paton on the Aurora. The authors interviewed survivors, who seemed less guarded in their old age and really “spilled the tea,” so to speak. The authors were smart to include the survivors’ less savory observations. A nightmarish experience.

I really liked the inclusion of so many photos. The last photo of Mackintosh and Hayward is especially haunting.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing true story of the Ross Sea Expedition to Antarctica in 1914 to provide support for Shackleton's crossing of the Antarctic Continent - which never happened of course, because his boat was crushed in the ice. This story has received little attention, due to being overshadowed by the remarkable story of Shackleton's own survival, but is just as incredible a story of men being marooned and surviving and enduring. Disjointed to begin with, I'm glad I persevered as it improved and became more easily read as the story unfolded.