British polar explorer, born at Kilkee on the 15th of February 1874. He was educated at Dulwich College, and afterwards entered the merchant service, subsequently becoming a lieutenant in the R.N.R. In 1901 he joined the Antarctic expedition of Capt. Scott in the “Discovery,” but had to return home on account of ill-health. In 1908 he organized his first Antarctic expedition, largely fitted out by himself, which started from New Zealand in the “Nimrod,” and achieved important results, reaching a point on the Antarctic continent about 97 m. from the South Pole. For this he was knighted in 1909, also receiving the C.V.O., while the Government contributed £20,000 towards the expenses of the expedition. He equipped a second expedition which left England in the “Endurance,” August 1, 1914, with the idea of approaching the Antarctic continent from Weddell Sea and ultimately joining hands with another party whose ship, the “Aurora,” was to start from Australia and approach by way of Ross Sea. Owing largely to bad ice conditions, the expedition was almost uniformly unfortunate. The story of this expedition was related by Sir Ernest Shackleton in South (1919). He received the King’s Polar medal and many honours from learned societies. In addition to the work mentioned above, he published The Heart of the Antarctic (1909). In 1921, in the “Quest,” he organized a third expedition, which set sail in September; but while it was still on its way he died from an attack of angina pectoris, on board, off Georgia I., on the 5th of January 1922.
