Tom Crean - Antarctic Explorer
A brief overview of the life of Ireland's greatest Antarctic explorer.
Category: Tom Crean For Kids
Tom Crean’s Rabbit – A Quote from Scott’s Journal.
The Terra Nova Expedition.
Journal Entry – December 25th 1910.
“An event of Christmas was the production of a family by Crean’s rabbit. She gave birth to 17, it is said, and Crean has given away 22! I don’t know what will become of the parent or family; at present they are warm and snug enough , tucked away in the fodder under the forecastle.”
― from “Journals: Captain Scott’s Last Expedition (Oxford World’s Classics)”
Setting Sail.
Tom Crean 1915
The expedition ship Terra Nova left New Zealand in November 1910, and headed for the ice of Antarctica. On board were 65 men, 34 dogs, 19 Siberian ponies and one concealed rabbit. Whilst all of the men and animals were officially accounted for in the ships inventory, it seems no-one knew of the rabbits presence, save for the man who had smuggled it on board.
Tom Crean was an animal lover, and he found a comfortable berth for his rabbit, among the horse fodder, aboard the heavily laden Terra Nova. This leads to the suspicion that perhaps Lawrence Oates was also aware of the animals presence, as his was the task of tending to the ponies.
On Christmas Day, 1910, while the ship was still at sea, the rabbit surprised all by producing 17 offspring, as rabbits do. Continue Reading →
Tom Crean – Colourised Image.
Tom Crean – Antarctic Explorer.
Image Colourisation by Vass Design.
Thanks to Pete Vass of Vass Design , who kindly forwarded this image to me, for use on the website. I can only imagine the long hours of painstakingly meticulous work, that has gone into it’s production, but the end result is a stunning full colour image of the ‘Irish Giant’ Tom Crean.
This image is just one of a series of pictures from the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration, that have been colourised by Pete, and you can view them all by following the link below.
Tom Crean
Tom Crean Antarctic Explorer
View More Colourised Polar Pictures
Tom Crean Infographic – Discovery
Tom Crean Infographic
The Discovery Expedition
Tom Crean For Kids
A Tom Crean Infographic, featuring key Tom Crean dates, focusing on those of his very first Antarctic expedition, with Robert Falcon Scott, aboard the ship Discovery. You can download the PDF of this infographic below.
Tom Crean For Kids – Tom Crean Infographic.
Information Source – Tom Crean An Illustrated Life, Michael Smith.