Who was Robert Falcon Scott?
Antarctic Explorer.
Date and Place of Birth:
6th June 1868, Devenport, Devon, England.
Family Background:
Son of John and Hannah Scott.
Education:
Local School. Joined the Royal Navy when he was
thirteen in 1881.
Chronology/Biography of Robert Falcon Scott:
1881: Joined the
Naval ship H.M.S. Boadicea as a Midshipman and was transferred to
other ships over the years to complete his training.
1886: As a Midshipman
aboard H.M.S Rover he took part in a race between four English cutters
in St. Kitts in the West Indies. Scott's boat won and he was invited
aboard H.M.S. Active to dine with the Commodore. Present at this
dinner was the cousin of the Commodore, Clements Markham who was
so impressed with Scott that he wrote about him that he was "the
destined man to command the Antarctic expedition." Scott continued
serving in ships of the the Royal Navy until 1901.
1901: He commanded
the National Antarctic Expedition ship "Discovery" which
explored the Ross Sea area and King Edward Seventh Land and he ventured
further south than any other ship thus far.
1904: He was promoted
to Captain.
1910: He embarked
on his second Antarctic expedition, this time in the ship "Terra
Nova" with the intention of reaching the South Pole.
1912: After much
bad luck on the voyage southwards his sledge party consisting of
himself, Edward Wilson, Lawrence Oates, H.R. Bowers and Edgar Evans
set out across the snow and ice. They finally reached the Pole on
the 18th January 1912 but found that they had been beaten there
by one month by the Norwegian Expedition led by Roald Amundsen.
Disappointed they turned back but faced severe blizzards and the
illness of Evans and Oates who both died en route. Finally the remaining
members of the team including Scott perished near the One Ton Depot
in March, all succumbing to starvation and severe cold. Their bodies
and significant diaries were found by a search party eight months
later. Scott was Knighted posthumously because of his bravery and
the Scott Polar Research Institute was established at Cambridge
in his memory. Despite their failure to arrive at the South Pole
first much important scientific findings had been made during the
expeditions.
Statue of Robert Falcon Scott funded by fellow Naval Members,
Waterloo Place, London
(© Anthony Blagg)
Marriage:
To Kathleen Bruce a sculptor.
Places of Interest:
CAMBRIDGESHIRE:
Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge.
Date and Place of Death:
29th March 1912, Antarctica of cold and starvation.
Age at Death:
43.
Site of Grave:
Body frozen near South Pole.
