Captain Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole (1910-1913) could easily be viewed as the Welsh Antarctic Expedition, thanks to the huge investment of money and resources provided by citizens of Cardiff. Without Cardiff’s support, the likelihood of his expedition ever getting off the ground and achieving the mythical status it has would always be in doubt.
Nowadays it’s a narrative bound in controversy. Each generation reinvents the story, from the ‘noble death’ to the historical revisionism where Scott’s achievements and character come under attack, leaving readers and listeners to weigh the evidence for themselves. But Cardiff’s involvement is not only indisputable – it remains today.
Pole position
Unlike previous attempts, the ‘Terra Nova Expedition’ was organised as a private venture, relying heavily on fundraising rather than institutional support. The estimated cost in 1910 was put at £50,000, equivalent to over £7.5mn today. Scott hoped £40,000 would come from public subscriptions, and that a further £10,000 might be donated by the Dominions as the expedition made its way south.
There was another contender for the South Pole, Roald Amundsen of Norway. He had one aim in mind – to conquer that pole before Scott did. His party was small, consisting of 19 men. Scott had 65, many prominent scientists with fields including meteorology, magnetism, glaciology, geology, marine biology. and cartography.
Scott’s expedition was in fact two. The first set out to conquer the pole. The second, under Lieutenant Campbell, focused its attention on scientific exploration – an aspect often eclipsed by Scott’s ill-fated adventure.
Significant individuals
The Cardiff connection with the expedition owes much of its success to Scott’s second-in-command, Lieutenant Teddy Evans, whose paternal grandfather may have been from Cardiff. Evans had been to Antarctica with Scott and Shackleton on previous, unsuccessful attempts at the pole. He was pivotal in obtaining Welsh support and sponsorship for the new expedition. As a result, Scott named Cardiff the home port of the expedition ship Terra Nova, and made Evans its captain.
Evans spent much of his time in 1909 delivering a constant round of lectures and speaking engagements in Cardiff, fundraising for the expedition. He was aided in this by William Davies, editor of the Western Mail. Davies championed the venture in rallying business and public support, promoting its every virtue. He even exaggerated the truth, describing Evans as “a former Cardiff man”.
Through personal connection with his countryman, Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George, Davies was able to secure a £20,000 government grant. Indeed, without the support of the Western Mail and the Welsh shipowners, it’s unlikely the expedition could have set off to reach the pole in 1912.
Shipowner and coal exporter Daniel Radcliffe was another key figure, playing a prominent part alongside Evans. He became a driving force for fundraising and promotional activities among the business community. He was Chairman of the Cardiff Shipowners Association in 1904, and by 1910 his company owned 26 vessels – the largest number in Cardiff.
Cardiff support
The people of Cardiff committed themselves to the British Expedition like no others. Having achieved city status in 1905, they wanted to raise the profile of the city and promote Cardiff – in the words of Town Clerk JL Wheatley – “as one of the most enterprising cities in the Empire”. The people of Cardiff gave some £2,500 (out of total national subscriptions of £14,000), more than any other city in Britain.
Cardiff shipowners and industrialists alone pledged £1,500. Just as important were the offers of free towage and docking facilities for the Terra Nova.
The city also donated 300 tonnes of Crown Patent Fuel, 1,000 tonnes of steam coal, 500 gallons of engine oil, and colza (lamp oil). The Terra Nova was repainted. Cooking and mess utensils, scientific equipment, and even many bottles of Stone’s Ginger Wine. This took the total financial outlay by Cardiff closer to £5,000.
Fond farewells
On the evening of 13 June, Captain Scott and his officers attended a farewell dinner in the Alexandra Room at the Royal Hotel in St Mary’s Street. The rest of the crew dined in the less sumptuous Barry Hotel. Diners enjoyed a splendid meal, with fillets of Beef Terra Nova, soufflé, and South Pole ice pudding.
The occasion raised additional gifts of money, and there was a presentation of a magnificent Welsh flag made by James Howell to take to the South Pole. On the following evening, the eve of departure, Scott and members of the British Antarctic Expedition were invited to a large civic reception. The 800 guests were given a final opportunity to wish the expedition every success.
The Terra Nova, a former whaling vessel bought from the Liverpool ship company Bowring Brothers, was cheered by thousands as it set sail from the Welsh capital early in the afternoon of 15 June 1910. The tugboat Falcon was attached to its bow and the Bantam Cock to its stern. They towed the vessel through the lock gates, while the Post Office band struck up Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.
The ship edged into the channel, escorted by a flotilla of small craft and flanked by the paddle steamers Devonia on its starboard side and Ravenswood on the port side. The Terra Nova was heavily laden, its proud Welsh flag flying from the mizzen mast. Scott remained on board until they reached the Breaksea Lighthouse, where he disembarked with the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries to return to London for vital fundraising. He didn’t rejoin the ship until it reached New Zealand.
Unknown to the crowd, the ship was leaking. Despite repairs in New Zealand the problem persisted, and was never truly resolved.
The ill-fated attempt
Three years later, Daniel Radcliffe recalled Scott’s prophetic last words as he departed on the Terra Nova. “I shall reach the South Pole or I will never come back again.”
The overland journey to the pole started on 24 October 1911, with a contingent of 12. It was dogged by misfortune from the off. The motor sleighs broke down, the ponies had to be shot, then the dog teams were sent back, leaving the men to manhaul the sledges.
By 31 December seven men had returned to base, while the remaining polar party of five pressed on. It reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, to find that Roald Amundsen had arrived 34 days earlier.
They were downcast and exhausted. On the return journey, Petty Officer Edgar Evans was first to die, following a fall at Beardmore on 17 February. Captain Oates was next. Suffering from frostbite, on 17 March he realised his condition was endangering the others, and crawled out into a blizzard. His last words to his companions were “I am just going outside and may be some time.”
Captain Scott, Edward Wilson, and Henry Bowers struggled on for another 10 miles, but were hit by another blizzard that lasted nine days. They were just 11 miles from the depot but too weak to continue. On 12 November 1912, searchers found the tent containing frozen bodies, geological specimens, and Scott’s diaries – which gave a full account of the journey.
Not until 10 February 1913, when the Terra Nova returned to New Zealand, could the tragic news be telegraphed to Britain. The country was already devastated by the loss of the Titanic the previous year, so the news came as another cataclysmic blow. Not least in Cardiff.
Enduring reminders
When the Terra Nova returned to Cardiff on Saturday 14 June 1913, she was greeted by a sombre crowd. Up to 60,000 people witnessed the memorial service held the next day in the Dock Parish Church, presided over by the Archbishop of Llandaff.
The Welsh flag was presented by Commander Teddy Evans to the National Museum of Wales, and the Terra Nova’s figurehead gifted to the city of Cardiff by FC Bowring, chairman of Bowring Brothers, which repurchased the vessel. The figurehead would remain in Roath Park for many years before being housed in the National Museum.
There’s a memorial to Scott and the expedition in Roath Park Lake, Cardiff – a clock tower in the form of a lighthouse. It was funded by Bowring and erected in 1915. A bronze memorial tablet of Scott can be found on the grand staircase of City Hall, and there’s a commemorative sculpture of him in Cardiff Bay.
The Captain Scott Society perpetuates the memory of Scott and his comrades and their association with Cardiff. It pursues social and charitable activities, with particular emphasis on adventure. And it celebrates an anniversary, 13 June 1910, in the same Royal Hotel room where Scott dined before departing forever.
The Society presents an annual Spirit of Adventure award of £2,000, and a similar youth prize, the Sir Vivian Fuchs Award, of £500. They’re bestowed on expeditions showing the ‘spirit of adventure’ so nobly demonstrated by Captain Scott and the British Antarctic Expedition. Though they’re gone, their spirit lives on.
