Robert Scott is an English polar explorer and discoverer who devoted a significant part of his life to the exploration of Antarctica and the South Pole. This material is dedicated to Robert Falcon Scott and his four companions, who returned from the South Pole in the spring of 1912 and died of hunger, extreme cold and physical exhaustion.
Origin and childhood
Robert Falcon Scott was born July 6, 1868 in the English port town of Davenport. His father, John Scott, unlike his brothers who served in the Navy, was in poor he alth, which may have prevented him from fulfilling his dreams. John owned a brewery and was not in poverty, but he was hardly satisfied with his existence, dreaming of a brighter and more eventful life for many years.
As a child, Robert, who, like his father, could not boast of good he alth, having heard all kinds of stories about the sea from his uncles, himself was inflamed with the romance of distant wanderings. In his childhood games, he imagined himself a brave admiral, confidently leadingyour ship towards uncharted lands. He was a stubborn fellow, lazy and even somewhat sloppy, but as he grew older he found the strength to overcome these shortcomings.
Education
Initially, Robert Scott was taught to read and write by a governess, and at the age of eight he entered school. It is interesting that the boy got to the educational institution located in the neighboring town on his own, moving on ponies, which occupied a special place in his life.
Study was not easy for young Robert, however, his parents soon decided to send him to the naval school. Perhaps his father counted on the fact that his son, who was passionate about sea travel, would thus show more interest in learning and be able to get a decent education. But he still did not become a diligent student, which, however, did not prevent him from being enlisted as a midshipman in the Royal Navy in 1881.
Young Scott steps into the path of a sailor. Meeting Clements Markham
For two years, Robert sailed on the training ship Britannia, on which he earned the rank of midshipman. In subsequent years, he sailed on the armored corvette Boadicea, and at the age of 19 he got on the Rover, which was a ship of the training squadron of the navy. Despite the fact that Robert Scott was a traveler from birth, he spent a lot of time at sea, the service did not particularly attract him, and he still dreamed of sailing to distant lands. But among his comrades, he enjoyed a certain authority and respect, as he was known as a man,of exceptionally good qualities.
And then one day Clements Markham appeared on the ship of the squadron, which greatly influenced the later life of Robert Scott. This man was the secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, he was interested in young and talented people. In the meantime, a boat race was arranged, the winner of which was Scott, after which he met Markham, who drew attention to him.
In the future, Robert Scott took up his studies, which helped him successfully pass the exams and get the rank of lieutenant. He further studied navigation and mathematics, piloting and minecraft, and even took courses in artillery fire control.
In 1899, Scott's father died, so the young lieutenant had a lot of new worries that left him practically no free time. During this difficult period for him, he meets Markham and learns from him about the upcoming expedition to Antarctica. With his assistance, Robert soon submits a report in which he expresses his desire to lead this enterprise.
First expedition to Antarctica
With the support of Markham, in 1901 Robert Falcon Scott, who by that time had already risen to the rank of captain 2nd rank, is appointed leader of the First British National Antarctic Expedition, made on the ship Discovery. In 1902, travelers manage to overcome the pack ice belt and make their way to the coast of Victoria Land. This is how King Edward VII Land was discovered. The expedition, which lasted until 1904, carried outnumerous studies.
Because the results of this campaign are very satisfactory, Scott's name is gaining some notoriety in certain circles. The researchers managed to collect a lot of interesting material and even found plant fossils dating back to the so-called Tertiary period (65–1.8 million years ago), which became a real scientific sensation. In short, Robert Scott has provided scientists with quite a lot of new work.
New life period
From now on, the name of Robert Scott has become increasingly associated with the Antarctic, while he himself, having gained experience, began to develop modern tools designed to facilitate travel in polar conditions. Between work, Robert attended dinner parties, to which he was very willingly invited. At one of the social events, he met Kathleen Bruce (sculptor), who in 1908 became his wife. The following year, their first child, named Peter Markham, was born.
Preparing a new expedition
Almost simultaneously with the birth of his son, it was announced the preparation of a new expedition by Scott, who intended to conquer the South Pole. Robert Scott suggested that minerals could be found in the bowels of Antarctica, and at the same time preparations were underway in America for a similar enterprise, but it was not so easy to raise the funds necessary to organize this trip.
Campaign forFundraising for Scott's expedition revived after the famous Robert Peary, who announced the conquest of the North Pole in 1909, expressed his intention to reach the South Pole as well. In addition, it became known that the Germans also intend to move in this direction. The preparation of the English expedition was in full swing, Robert Scott also worked tirelessly, whose biography, however, tells of him as a hardworking and purposeful person. It is said that in the first place he thought more about scientific prospects than about conquering the South Pole.
Start of Terra Nova expedition
By the fall of 1910, Robert Scott finally managed to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming trip, and already on September 2, the ship Terra Nova set sail. The expedition ship headed for Australia, then arrived in New Zealand. January 3, 1911 Terra Nova reached McMurdo Bay, located near Victoria Land. Soon the travelers discovered the camp of Roald Amundsen (Norwegian champion polar explorer), who later became the first to reach the South Pole.
November 2 began the most difficult advance to the pole. The motor sleigh, on which travelers had high hopes, had to be abandoned, as they turned out to be unsuitable for moving along the hummocks. The ponies also did not justify the hopes placed on them, so they had to be euthanized, and people were forced to carry the heavy load necessary for the campaign. Robert Scott, feeling responsible for his comrades, decided to sendseven of them back. Then five went: Robert himself, officers Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, and doctor Edward Wilson.
Achieve or fail?
The travelers reached their destination on January 17, 1912, but what was their disappointment when they saw that the Amundsen expedition had been here shortly before them, namely, on December 14, 1911. The Norwegians left a note to Scott asking him to inform the king of Norway of their achievement if they died. It is not known what feelings prevailed in the hearts of the British, but it is easy to guess that they were exhausted not only physically, but also morally, as Robert Scott wrote in his diary. The photo below was taken on January 18, the day the travelers set off on their return trip. This picture was the last one.
But it was still necessary to overcome the way back, so the Terra Nova expedition, having completed all the necessary actions and hoisted the English flag next to the Norwegian one, headed north. Ahead of them was waiting for almost one and a half thousand kilometers of a difficult journey, during which ten warehouses with supplies were organized.
Death of travelers
The travelers moved from warehouse to warehouse, gradually freezing their limbs and losing strength. On February 17, Edgar Evans died, who had previously fallen into a crack and hit his head hard. The next to die was Lawrence Oates, whose legs were severely frostbitten, which made him simply unable to continue on. On March 16, he told his comrades that he wantedwalk, after which he went into the darkness forever, not wanting to detain the others and be a burden to them. His body was never found.
Scott, Wilson and Bowers continued on their way, but only 18 km from the main point they were overtaken by a strong hurricane. Food supplies were running out, and people were so exhausted that they could no longer move on. The snowstorm did not subside, and the travelers were forced to stay and wait. On March 29, after staying at this point for about nine days, all three died of hunger and cold. Unfortunately, Robert Scott's expedition to the South Pole ended in a very tragic way.
Discovery of the Lost Expedition
Rescue expedition, which went in search of the missing polar explorers, found them only eight months later. The tent that sheltered them from the cold, wind and snow eventually became their grave. What the rescuers saw shocked them to the core: exhausted travelers all this time carried with them the most valuable geological collection, the weight of which was approximately 15 kg. They did not dare to abandon the exhibits that weighed them down. According to rescuers, Robert Scott was the last to die.
In his last entries in his diary, Scott urged not to leave their loved ones. He also requested that the diary be given to his wife. In the last moments of his life, he realized that he would never see her again and wrote a letter for her in which he asked Kathleen to warn their little son against laziness. After all, he himself was once forced to fight this pernicious condition. Subsequently, the son of RobertPeter Scott has achieved great things by becoming a renowned biological scientist.
Conclusion
The British, having learned about the tragedy, showed sympathy for their heroically dead compatriots. Through the collection of donations, an amount sufficient to provide the families of polar explorers with a comfortable existence was collected.
Robert Scott's expeditions are described in several books. The first of them - "Swimming on Discovery" - he wrote with his own hand. Others have also been published based on Scott's diary entries and describing his expedition to the South Pole, such as R. Scott's Last Expedition by Huxley and E. Cherry-Howard's The Most Terrible Journey.
It only remains to add that the polar explorers, led by Robert Scott, accomplished a truly heroic deed, so their names will always remain in the memory of people.
