@Josh-lo6ws

9 months ago

There's another incredible part of Scott's expedition story not mentioned here that definitely deserved to. The final support team of three men splintered off from Scott 150 miles from the pole, but they very almost didn't make it back alive either. They had gotten lost, were running short on supplies and Scott's second in command Edward Evans had fallen very ill. They had to dump even more of their supplies to carry Evans on their sled even though he had ordered the other two men to leave him behind, they refused saying they would never even consider it. They dragged him on the sled for days, but being still five days from base camp they realised they weren't going to make it. They set up camp and Irishman Tom Crean ventured ahead alone to find the main camp and raise a rescue team. Crean left with no rations, no navigational or survival equipment, not even a sleeping bag as he didn't intend to sleep. He went solo by himself and somehow made it to the other men, literally collapsing through the door. They had to tell Crean to stay put inside as he insisted on making the journey back to rescue the men himself too. Evans and Bill Lashly were eventually rescued, returned safely and treated by the doctor. Tom Crean, along with Lashly were awarded the Albert Medal for Bravery by King George V for this act. Tom Crean is still to this day regarded as one of Ireland's heroes and explorers, virtually anyone from the country knows Tom Crean's story in some detail. He's often overlooked as he was a lower class Irish man living in a British world, while typical members of parties such as these were middle class, trained naval officers, Tom Crean was a boy who ran away from home at 15 just about able to read or write and found his way on more antarctic explorations than Scott or Shackleton. He wasn't writing memoirs like the rest, but we try our best to remember him.

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