Shackleton’s Final Quest

And thus Frank Wild learnt that his beloved leader and friend had died in the early hours of the morning aboard the Quest.

Dr Macklin, who had been called to Shackleton’s cabin, urged his boss to take it more easy. “You are always wanting me to give up something. What do you want me to give up now?” that was the the final uttering of one of the greatest Polar leaders of all times and words that would  draw the curtain on the Heroic Age of Exploration.

The Quest expedition (1921-1922) had less ambition than Shackleton’s two previous expeditions, the British Antarctic Expedition (1907 – 1908) and the  Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914 – 1917). Yet it was an opportunity for Shackleton to gather his most loyal and trusted men who once again were drawn back to the white continent and to the opportunity to serve him.

As Shackleton’s body was taken to Montevideo only to be returned to Grytviken for burial at the behest of his selfless wife, Emily, Frank Wild took command of the Quest. But the very heart of the expedition was lost. Never making land fall on Antarctica itself, the Quest finally returned to Grytviken where Wild and his men paid their final respects to their beloved Boss before sailing back to England.

Shackleton’s death at 2.50 a.m. on the 5th January 1922 rang the death knell on Edwardian exploration of Antarctica. Sledge-hauling and relying on dogs and horses as a food source were over. Antarctic exploration lay dormant until seven years later when Rear Admiral Byrd in his flying machine opened up the Mechanical Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Given the superb opportunity to organise the Shackleton’s Final Quest voyage for December 2022 by the James Caird Society, is a privilege  that stands squarely on Ice Tracks’ shoulders and we plan to make this voyage as successful as the Shackleton Centenary voyage of 2014. Today, the majority of the 93 people that were on board in 2014 remain in touch not only by email but by gathering in groups throughout the country. That voyage left an unforgettable legacy. As a collective we raised ten of thousands of pounds for the Scott Polar Research Institute and we are again raising money for NGO’s including the South Georgia Heritage Trust and South Georgia Association.