Terra Nova Expedition – Southern Journey.

Outward March – Camp 15, November 19th 1911.

It was day 19 of Robert Falcon Scott’s Southern Journey, and progress was slower than Scott had expected. The ponies were struggling in the harsh conditions and were constantly sinking in the deep snow. Scott’s team had developed pony shoes for the animals, and when trialed on the soft surfaces, they proved to be a significant success. However, Lawrence Oates who was in charge of the ponies, objected to their use, and most were left behind, despite their effectiveness.
This was a decision that Scott should have over-ruled. Of the 19 ponies brought along on the expedition, 9 had died prior to the departure of the South Pole journey, which greatly weakened their prospects of hauling the supplies to the Beardmore Glacier. The remaining 10 animals that set out with the team on November 1st, should have been afforded every possible advantage, for the gruelling task ahead.

Extract from Diary of Robert Falcon Scott.

Camp 15. “We have struck a really bad surface, sledges pulling well over it, but ponies sinking very deep. The result is about to finish Jehu. He was terribly done on getting in tonight. He may go another march, but not many more, I think.”

November 19th, 1911.

Photographs taken by Captain Scott on November 19th, 1911.

On This Day – November 16th 1911. – Tom Crean
Tom Crean – A Colourised Image by Vass Design.