Ernest H Shackleton.docx

Ernest H Shackleton.docx

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ErnestHShackleton

ErnestH.Shackleton

1874-1922

ErnestHenryShackletonwasbornatKilkeaHouse,CountyKildare,onFebruary15,1874.TheShackletonscameoriginallyfromYorkshire.ThefounderofthefamilywasAbrahamShackleton,aQuaker,whomovedtoIrelandearlyintheeighteenthcenturyandstartedaschoolatBallitore,nearDublin.HenryShackleton,Ernest'sfather,wasAbraham'sdirectdescendantinthefourthgeneration.Henrytriedtoenterthearmybuthispoorhealthpreventedhim.Becomingafarmerinstead,hesettledinthegreen,fertile,rollingfieldsofCountyKildareataplacecalledKilkea.Ernest'smother,bornHenriettaLetitiaSophiaGavan,marriedHenryin1872,bringingatouchofIrishbloodintoanotherwisepureAnglo-Irishlineage.Ernest'sbirthhappenedtocoincidewiththedisastrouspotatocropfailure,somuchapartofIrishhistory.Thismeantanagriculturaldepressionanddifficulttimesforfarmers.HenryShackletonwasasurvivalistandthereforeabandonedhisfarmbeforeitwastoolate.Attheageof33,HenrylefthisfarmtoTrinityCollegeinDublinandstartedanewcareerinmedicine.In1884,Dr.ShackletoncrossedthewaterandsettledinEngland.ItwasinsuburbanLondonthatErnestShackletonspenttheremainderofhisboyhoodyears.Ernest'smotherbecamemysteriouslyaninvalidandremainedsoforthelastfortyyearsofherlife.Dr.Shackleton,withhelpfromhismother-in-lawandvariousfemalerelativesfromIreland,raisedErnestandtheotherchildren.

Untiltheageofeleven-and-a-half,Shackletonwaseducatedathomebyagoverness.HethenwenttoFirLodgePreparatorySchool,downtheroadfromhishome,AberdeenHouse,inWestHill.In1887ErnestleftFirLodgetogotoDulwichCollege.HenrydesiredforhissontoenterthemedicalfieldbutErnestwouldhavenopartofit.Longingforthesea,ErnestleftDulwichattheendoftheLenttermin1890andonApril19,attheageofsixteen,wenttoLiverpoolandjoinedthefullriggerHOGHTONTOWER,ownedbytheNorthWesternShippingCompanyofLiverpool.Ernest'sfirstexperienceatseabelongstosailor'sfolklore.TheHOGHTONTOWERwasboundforValparaisoroundCapeHorn.TheyreachedCapeHorninthemiddleofwinterandfoughtagainststormsfornearlytwomonthsbeforefinallyroundingtheCape.Batteredbytheseas,theHOGHTONTOWERreachedValparaisointhemiddleofAugust.FromthereshesailedforIquique,Chilewhereforsixweekssheloadednitrates.TheHOGHTONTOWERreturnedtoLiverpoolattheendofApril,1891,withfoodandwaterrunningout.Itwasahard,difficulttrip,especiallyforasixteen-year-oldoldnovice.ShackletonwentontospendfiveyearssailingtoandfromtheFarEastandAmerica.In1896,withoutmuchdifficulty,ShackletonpassedforFirstMate.InApril1898,hewascertifiedasMaster.Attheageoftwenty-fourhehadqualifiedtocommandaBritishshipanywhereonthesevenseas.

Inthesummerof1897,Shackletonmetandbecameattractedtooneofhissisters'friends,EmilyDorman.ErnesthadjustreturnedfromavoyagetoJapanaboardtheFLINTSHIREwhenhemetthetall,dark-hairedyoungwoman"withagoodfigure".Attheendof1898,theFLINTSHIREranagroundnearMiddlesbroughwhichgavehimtheopportunitytotakeleavefor24-hoursinordertogohomeforhisfather'sbirthdayonJanuary1.Ontheway,hestoppedandvisitedTheFirs,whereEmilylived,andforthefirsttimeErnestwasseriouslyinlove.ShackletonhadenoughoftrampingtotheEast.ToimprovehisstandingwithEmilyandherfather,helefttheWelshShireLineand,earlyin1899,tookapositionwiththeUnionCastleLine.

TheUnionCastleLinebelongedtotheéleteofthemerchantservice.Theshipswereimmaculate,fromtheirredandblackfunnelstotheirredboottopping.UsedtocarrymailsbetweenEnglandandSouthAfrica,itwasthenextbestthingtothenavy.Thebrassworkglistenedasofficersparadedinnavyblueandgoldbraidacrossthedecks.Asabonus,theUnionCastleLinemeantcominghomeregularlyeverytwomonthsinsteadoflongandundeterminedabsencesaboardatramper.Itwasanidealitinerary:

downtheSolentfromSouthampton,roundthebulgeofAfrica,acrosstheBightofBenin,intothedocksatCapeTownandback...sixthousandmileseachway.ByDecember,promotedtoThirdOfficer,ShackletonwastransferredtotheTINTAGELCASTLEwhichwashaulingtroopstotheCapesince,inOctober1899,theBoerWarhadbrokenout.Duringthesummerof1900,ShackletonwasinLondononleave,seeingEmilywhenhecould.Then,onSeptember13,ShackletonwrotetovolunteerfortheNationalAntarcticExpedition（commandedbyRobertFalconScott）,whichwasintheprocessofbeingorganized.Fourdayslaterhevisitedtheexpeditionofficesinpersontopresshomehisdesires.AjournalistlateraskedShackletonwherehegotthenotiontobecomeanexplorerandErnestresponded,"Ithinkitcametomeduringmyfirstvoyage...Ifeltstrangelydrawntowardsthemysterioussouth...weroundedCapeHorninthedepthofwinter.Itwasonecontinuousblizzardalltheway...Yetmanyatime,eveninthemidstofallthisdiscomfort,mythoughtswouldgoouttothesouthward...Butstrangelyenough,thecircumstancewhichactuallydeterminedmetobecomeanexplorerwasadreamIhadwhenIwastwenty-two.WewerebeatingouttoNewYorkfromGibraltar,andIdreamtIwasstandingonthebridgeinmid-Atlanticandlookingnorthward.Itwasasimpledream.IseemedtovowtomyselfthatsomedayIwouldgototheregionoficeandsnowandgoonandontillIcametooneofthepolesoftheearth,theendoftheaxisuponwhichthisgreatroundballturns".InMarch,1900,ShackletonwasonhissecondtroopingvoyagetoSouthAfricaintheTINTAGELCASTLEwhenhemetCedricLongstaff,alieutenantintheEastSurreyRegiment.Longstaff'sfather,Llewellyn,happenedtobetheprincipalbenefactoroftheNationalAntarcticExpedition...hehaddonated£25,000tomaketheexpeditionpossible.ShackletonpersuadedCedricLongstafftogivehimanintroductiontohisfather.

Thesummerof1900wasfilledwithuncertainty.Ernest'sbrother,Frank,wascommissionedintheRoyalIrishFusiliers,boundforSouthAfricatotakepartinthefinaldays,soitseemed,ofthewar.Butfront-pagenewswasCarstenBorchgrevink,recentlyreturnedfromtheAntarcticwherehewasthefirstmantowinterontheAntarcticcontinent.Shackleton'sromanticimaginationranwildashewentdowntoWimbledontomeetLlewellynLongstaff.LikeShackleton,Mr.LongstaffwasaFellowoftheRoyalGeographicSocietyand,besides,wouldalwayswelcomeanyonewhohadrecentlyseenhisson.HewasoverwhelmedbyShackleton'spersonality.WhenShackletonaskedhishelpinjoiningtheexpedition,Longstaffcouldhardlyrefuse.AsShackletonreturnedtosea,LongstaffmadeitcleartoSirClementsMarkhamthathewantedShackletonacceptedfortheexpedition.SirClementstoldScottwhopromptlypassedthematterontoAlbertArmitageashesimply"hadnotimetoattendtoit".EarlyinMarch1901,ShackletonreturnedtoSouthamptonontheCARISBROOKCASTLEtofindhimselfpartoftheNationalAntarcticExpedition.ShackletonwoulddepartwithScottonthehistoricDISCOVERYEXPEDITIONtoAntarcticalaterthatsummer.（NOTE:

thestoryoftheNationalAntarcticExpeditioniswritten,indetail,underthechapterdevotedtoRobertFalconScott）.

ShackletonbecameseriouslyillonScott'ssouthernsledgejourney,midwaythroughtheexpedition,andhadtobeinvalidedhomeaboardthereliefshipMORNING.AsBernacchi,withScott'sDISCOVERYEXPEDITIONnoted,Shackletonwas"deeplydisappointed&wouldgiveanythingtoremain.AlthougheveryoneissoanxioustoreturnthisyearwiththeDISCOVERYfewaresopoorspiritedastowishtoreturnintheMORNING".OnJune12,1903,afterconvalescinginNewZealand,ShackletonlandedinEngland.AhugescandalhadbrokenoutabouttheaffairsoftheDISCOVERYEXPEDITION.ItseemseveryonewasupsetaboutScottremainingforasecondwinterintheAntarctic.TheorganizershadexplicitlysaidthatundernocircumstanceswasScotttostayforasecondyear...itwouldbeconsideredprofessionalincompetencetoallowtheDISCOVERYtobefrozenin,riskingbeingcrushedbytheice.SirClementssentatelegramtoShackleton:

"TheAdmiraltywillundertakerescueofDiscovery.Committeeappointed.Cometome.Iwishtoconsultyou".TheexpeditionorganizerswantedShackletontosailoutaschiefofficerontheTERRANOVAtoassisttheMORNING,ifnecessary,togetScottandhismenbackhome.Shackletondeclinedas,accordingtoArmitage,"hemeanttoreturnandprovetoScott'thathe---Shackleton---wasabettermanthanScott'".Besides,Emilyhadnowagreedtomarryhim.Meanwhile,earlyinOctoberShackletonvisitedSirClementsMarkham,inMarkhams'words,with"fullplansforanotherexpedition".SirClementsdiscouragedhimandShackletonwentontojointhestaffofRoyalMagazineasajournalist.OnJanuary11,1904,afteralongandnerve-rackingwait,ShackletonfoundhimselfelectedtothedesiredpostofsecretarytotheRoyalScottishGeographicalSociety.Henowhadafull-timejoband,ashewrotetoEmily,"Iamsohappydearestthinkingaboutallthetimeswhicharetobeinthefuture...wedowanttosettledownandhaveourownhouseatlastafteralltheseyearsofwaiting".InLondon,onApril9,ErnestShackletonandEmilyDormanweremarriedatChristchurch,Westminster.AweekbeforetheweddingtheDISCOVERYreturnedtoNewZealandafterhersecondseasonintheice.Therecordsouthing,inwhichShackletonhadparticipated,wasstillintact.WhenShackletonwalkeduptheaislewithEmilyhewasstilloneofthemenwhohadre