British National Antarctic Expedition (1901 - 1904)

Summary

The British National Antarctic Expedition (the Discovery expedition) of 1901 to 1904 was the first official British expedition to Antarctic waters for 60 years. It was organised by a joint committee of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Geographical Society. Funds raised for the Expedition included a substantial amount from the Royal Geographical Society which was matched by the British Government. Departing in August 1901 under the command of Robert Scott, the crew of the Expedition was largely Royal Navy personnel. The Expedition arrived in McMurdo Sound early in 1902, then proceeded to explore along the length of the Ice Barrier (now known as the Ross Ice Shelf) and reaching further south than any previous expedition. Winter quarters were established at Hut Point on Ross Island. Discovery was iced-in, not being freed (with the assistance of some dynamite) until February 1904. The scientific program of the Expedition included tidal, seismic, auroral and magnetic observations. Trekking journeys were undertaken on the Polar Plateau and towards the South Pole. Marine biological specimens, mostly taken from shallow depths in McMurdo Sound under the supervision of biologist Thomas Hodgson, were deposited in the British Museum (Natural History). The first Emperor Penguin colony was discovered at Cape Crozier. Geographic discoveries included ice-free valleys, and that the Ice Barrier was a floating ice shelf. The scientific results of the Expedition were published by the Royal Society in 1908-9.

Details

Members of the Expedition included:
Robert F. Scott, Leader
Louis Bernacchi, Physicist
William Colbeck, Captain, relief ship SY Morning
James Dell, Able seaman
James Doorly, 3rd Officer, relief ship S.Y. Morning
Hartley Ferrar, Geologist
Thomas Hodgson, Marine biologist
Reginald Koettlitz, Surgeon and botanist
Ernest Shackleton, 3rd Officer
Frank Wild, Able seaman
Edward Wilson, Assistant doctor and zoologist

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Armitage, Albert B., Two years in the Antarctic: being a narrative of the British National Antarctic Expedition (London: E. Arnold, 1905), 315 pp. Details
• Baughman, T. H., Pilgrims on the ice: Robert Falcon Scott's first Antarctic expedition (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1999), 334 pp. Details
• Bernacchi, L. C., Saga of the "Discovery" (London, Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1938), 240 pp. Details
• Crane, David, Scott of the Antarctic: a life of courage, leadership and tragedy in the extreme south (London: Harper Collins, 2005), 480 pp. Details
• Doorly, Gerald S., The voyages of the "Morning" (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1916), 223 pp. Details
• Jones, Aubrey A., Scott's forgotten surgeon: Dr Reginald Koettlitz, polar explorer (Dunbeath, Scotland: Whittles Publishing, 2011), 209 pp. Details
• Lashly, William; edited by Ellis, A. R., Under Scott's command: Lashly's Antarctic diaries (London: Gollancz, 1969), 160 pp. Details
• Markham, Clements: edited and introduced by Clive Holland, Antarctic obsession: a personal narrative of the origin of the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901 - 1904 (Alburgh, Norfolk: Bluntisham Books: Erskine Press, 1986), 179 pp. Details
• Mawer, Granville Allen, South by Northwest: the Magnetic Crusade and the Contest for Antarctica (Kent Town: Wakefield Press, 2006), 319 pp. Details
• Mills, Leif, Frank Wild (Whitby, U.K.: Caedmon of Whitby, 1999), 350 pp. Details
• Preston, Diana, A first rate tragedy: Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions (London: Constable, 1997), 269 pp. Details
• Royds, Charles W. R.: compiled by T. R. Royds, The diary of Lieutenant Charles W. R. Royds: expedition to the Antarctic 1901 - 1904 (Braidwood, N.S.W.: T. Roger Royds, 2001), 373 pp. Details
• Savours, A., The voyages of the Discovery: the illustrated history (London: Virgin, 1992), 384 pp. Details
• Scott, Robert, The voyage of the "Discovery", 2 vols (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1905). Details
• Seaver, George, Edward Wilson of the Antarctic; naturalist and friend (London: John Murray, 1933), 310 pp. Details
• Skelton, Reginald: edited by Skelton, Judy, The Antarctic diaries of Reginald Skelton: another little job for the tinker (Cheltenham, U.K. Reardon Publishing: Reardon Publishing, 2004), 232 pp. Details
• Smith, Michael, An unsung hero: Tom Crean, Antarctic survivor (London: Headline Book Publishing, 2000), 386 pp. Details
• Wilson, Edward, Diary of the Discovery Expedition to the Antarctic regions 1901 - 1904 (London: Blandford, 1966), 416 pp. Details
• Yelverton, David E., Antarctica unveiled: Scott's first expedition and the quest for the unknown continent (Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 2000), 472 pp. Details

Edited Books

• Fletcher, L. and Bell, F. Jeffrey eds, Natural history: British National Antarctic Expedition, 6 vols (London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1907-1912). Details

Journal Articles

• Armstong-Sheret, Edward, 'Tainted bodies: scurvy, bad food and the reputation of the British National Antarctic Expedition', Journal of historical geography, 16 (2019), 19-28. Details

See also

• Ferrar, H. T., 'Report on the field geology of the region explored during the Discovery Antarctic Expedition, 1901 - 1904' in Natural history, Fletcher, L., ed., vol. 1 (1907), pp. 1-100. Details
• Firth, P. G., Benavidez,, O. J. and Fiechtner, L., 'The signs and symptoms of Ernest Shackleton', Journal of medical biography, 31 (1) (2023), 10-5. Details
• Fletcher, L. and F. J. Bell eds, Natural history, 6 vols (London: British Museum, 1907-1912). Details
• Guly, Henry, 'Dr Reginald Koettlitz (1860-1916): Arctic and Antarctic explorer', Journal of Medical Biography, 20 (4) (2012), 141-7. Details
• Rice, A. L., British oceanographic vessels 1800 - 1950 (London: Ray Society, 1986), 193 pp. Details
• W., J. M., 'Captain Albert Borlase Armitage, R.D., R.N.R. (retd.)', Geographical journal, 104 (1/2) (1944), 69-70. Details