Shackleton's Heroes
Page 19
Spencer-Smith: ‘Another skua came pecking around the tent after we had turned in: it tried to carry off one of the Skipper’s sandals. The other two sallied out to slay, but failed.
‘The other party is in sight.’80
Christmas Day 1915 for Joyce’s team
On their Christmas Day, Joyce, Hayward, Richards, Cope, Gaze and Jack were camped only a few miles short, that is, to the north, of Minna Bluff. In contrast to Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild’s Christmas Day of cigars, a sing-along, and a ‘glut’ of food, Joyce’s diary entry for Christmas Day mentioned no such luxuries, only the basic facts of a day’s hard hauling.
Joyce:
Glorious Xmas. Under way 7.45. SW wind + drift very heavy going sometimes sinking up to your knees. Wondering how are all friends. Very sorry cannot drink to their health.
Would give anything for a smoke – when one is on the march no one speaking then you think of these things. Camped as usual.
Dist 8¾ miles. About 5 miles off Depot.81
On 29 December Joyce’s party could see a myriad of black objects spread over the white snow and they had no idea what they were, until they came up to them and found the area littered with feathers. They guessed that Mackintosh’s party had killed a skua.82
Joyce: ‘Dec 29: Captain about 1½ miles ahead.’83
The two parties meet, south of the Bluff depot – 31 December 1915
Meeting the others gave Joyce an opportunity to have a smoke (using tea leaves as tobacco) with ‘Ern’ (Ernest Wild) and to also come to an agreement with Mackintosh as to who should push on to Mount Hope. It is not clear from Joyce’s diary but presumably the two men agreed at this time that some of Joyce’s party would continue on to Mount Hope.
In his last diary entry of the year, Joyce atypically included a number of personal comments.
Wild: ‘The others caught us up when we stopped about 10 o’clock. They have given us some more books, seal meat, butter and tinned paste so we will have a good New Years dinner tomorrow.’84
Spencer-Smith:
The others came up when we stopped in the morning and friendly calls all round were the order of the day. Irvine and Jack brought us a splendid present of seal-meat, potted meat butter and a parcel of books. We were able to give them a few books in return, including Browning’s plays for Irvine. They are pulling a great load.
I had a long talk with Irvine and Jack in their tent in ‘rebus divinus inter alia’.**** They are camped some way to the left. Temp 20, Evg 23.
Finished ‘Drama in Sunshine’ during supper (of seal-meat) this evening and am now to begin ‘The Old Dominion’ and ‘Evolution’ (H. Univ. Lib.) now. This is the last entry for 1915.85
Joyce:
Had a pipe of tea with Ern + a long talk with the Boss. Made all arrangements for the final spurt which after a talk came to a mutual understanding (at last). It must I think it is clearly time he woke up.
We had a nice cup of tea together to drink the peace tomorrow being New Years Day. I thought it would be a fair thing to be at peace with all the world.
I wonder how many of the old pals are quaffing a merry cup + making all kinds of Good Resolve for the coming Year.
I often think of the brother, his wife + nephew + wondering how the world is treating them.
I suppose I am now starting on the biggest job of my life that is to get to this 83° S + if poss to relieve S. We are now 90 days out from C. Evans & all feel fit let us hope that Providence will look on us + give us fine weather.
Goodbye Old Year. Good Luck to the New. ‘KiaOra’.††††86
The nine men now had their sledges fully laden. They were south of the Minna Bluff depot and heading for Mount Hope. On the way they would stock new depots at each degree of latitude, which were about 70 miles apart, with enough provisions for Shackleton, and for their own return.
Notes
1. Richards, The Ross Sea Shore Party
2. Hayward diary, 1 October 1915
3. Joyce field diary, 1 October 1915
4. Mackintosh diary, 8 September 1915
5. Ibid., 21 September 1915
6. Ibid., 30 September 1915
7. Spencer-Smith letter to his parents, 30 September 1915
8. Richards, The Ross Sea Shore Party
9. Joyce field diary, 10 October 1915
10. Ibid., 11 October 1915
11. Hayward diary, 11 October 1915
12. Wild diary, 11 October 1915
13. Richards letter to A. J. T. Fraser, 9 July 1961
14. Joyce field diary, 12 October 1915
15. Wild diary, 11 October 1915
16. Debenham, In the Antarctic
17. Joyce field diary, 12 October 1915
18. Ibid., 15–18 October 1915
19. Spencer-Smith diary, 17 October 1915
20. Wild diary, 20 October 1915
21. Joyce field diary, 23 October 1915
22. Spencer-Smith diary, 23 October, 1915
23. Joyce field diary, 26 October 1915
24. Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
25. Richards, unpublished document, ‘Four Dogs’
26. Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. 30, No. 2, 1914
27. Richards, unpublished document, ‘Four Dogs’
28. Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
29. Joyce field diary, 28 October 1915
30. Hayward diary, October 1915
31. Mackintosh letter to Joyce, 28 October 1915
32. Joyce field diary, 5 November 1915
33. Ibid., 6 November 1915
34. Wild diary, 16 October 1915
35. Ibid., 21 October 1915
36. Ibid., 1 November 1915
37. Ibid., 2 November 1915
38. Ibid., 9 November 1915
39. Ibid., 17 November 1915
40. Ibid., 19 November 1915
41. Ibid., 9 December 1915
42. Spencer-Smith diary, 5 November 1915
43. Ibid., 7 November 1915
44. Hayward diary, 15 November 1915
45. Spencer-Smith diary, 9 November 1915
46. Ibid., 17 December 1915
47. Ibid., 2 January 1916
48. The Eagle, Bedfordshire Modern School magazine, March 1917
49. Naval Service Record of Harry Ernest Wild
50. P&O Officers Register
51. Mackintosh diary, 2 February 1915
52. Spencer-Smith diary, 12 November 1915
53. Wild diary, 12 November 1915
54. Ibid., 14 November 1915
55. Joyce field diary, 17 November 1915
56. Joyce letter to Mackintosh, 15 November 1915
57. Mackintosh letter to Joyce, 25 November 1915
58. Joyce field diary, 25 November 1915
59. Richards letter to L. B. Quartermain, 19 November 1963
60. Joyce field diary, 28 November 1915
61. Mackintosh letter to Joyce, 4 December 1915
62. Spencer-Smith diary, November and December, 1915
63. Richards, The Ross Sea Shore Party
64. Joyce field diary, 13 December 1915
65. Hayward diary, 13 December 1915
66. Joyce field diary, 14 December 1915
67. Spencer-Smith diary, 15 December 1915
68. Wild diary, 15 December 1915
69. D. Mawson, Antarctic Diaries (London: Unwin Hyman, 1988)
70. Spencer-Smith diary, 22 December 1915
71. Wild diary, 24 December 1915
72. Spencer-Smith diary, 25 December 1915
73. Wild diary, 25 December 1915
74. Spencer-Smith diary, 27 December 1915
75. Wild diary, 27 December 1915
76. Spencer-Smith diary, 27 December 1915
77. Wild diary, 29 December 1915
78. Spencer-Smith diary, 29 December 1915
79. Wild diary, 30 December 1915
80. Spencer-Smith diary, 29 December 1915
81. Joyce field di
ary, 25 December 1915
82. Gaze field diary, 29 December 1915
83. Joyce field diary, 29 December 1915
84. Wild diary, 31 December 1915
85. Spencer-Smith diary, 31 December 1915
86. Joyce field diary, 31 December 1915
* Hayward, like Spencer-Smith, used Gunboat as the dog’s name, not Gunner.
† Joyce often wrote the distance travelled in the day, in this case 13 miles and 240 yards.
‡ Gaze, not Stevens, ended up being a member of the sledging teams.
§ Per day.
¶ Cam would be Cambridge.
|| ‘Joan’ – we do not know who Spencer-Smith is referring to, possibly a female acquaintance at a church in England.
** A1 – meaning excellent.
†† ‘Laus Deo’ – Praise to God.
‡‡ ‘Bergschmund’: the correct spelling is bergschrund. It is a German word for a crevasse that was formed when the ice of a moving glacier separated from stagnant ice.
§§ ‘neb’ – his nose.
¶¶ ‘interesting condition’ – Nell, the bitch, was pregnant.
|||| The meaning of his reference to ‘B Esmond’ may relate to Beatrix Esmond in the 1852 Thackeray novel The History of Henry Esmond.
*** Streimer was a polar nut food made by a company called Streimer.
††† His French quote means: ‘We are indebted to the Father Almighty who has heard my prayer and has protected us during these days of anxiety.’
‡‡‡ ‘Heimweh’ – a longing to be home.
§§§ ‘W.P.’ – ‘with pleasure’
¶¶¶ The men call the bird a ‘skua gull’. The correct description is simply ‘skua’; a family of birds related to gulls.
|||||| ‘anti-scorbs’ – the men knew that scurvy was caused by a shortage of ascorbic acid (which we know now as Vitamin C).
**** rebus divinus inter alia – ‘among other things of God’.
†††† ‘Kia Ora’ is a Mãori language greeting, meaning ‘be well/healthy’. Joyce, like most British Antarctic explorers of his time, had fond memories of New Zealand. He had spent three weeks there in 1901 when the Discovery was being prepared for her departure to Antarctica, and the men returned to England via New Zealand in 1904. New Zealand was also the place of departure and return for Joyce on the Nimrod in Shackleton’s 1907–09 expedition. After 1917 Joyce lived in New Zealand and married a Christchurch lady, Ms Beatrice Curtlett.
Chapter 9
‘FEELING RATHER SEEDY. HEAD HOT; EYES ACHE’
The first week of January 1916
THE TWO PARTIES, one with Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild, the other of Joyce, Richards, Hayward, Cope, Jack, Gaze and the four dogs, continued on south. On 1 January they were well past the Bluff depot and coming up to the 80°S depot location. They were about 250 miles from Mount Hope.
The two parties continued to travel separately – Mackintosh’s party travelled during the night-time hours and Joyce’s party during daytime hours – but they now stayed reasonably close to each other. They travelled by the clock, not the sun’s daylight hours, because at that time of the year the sun did not set, circling between 2° and 5° above the horizon. At this stage, Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild were man-hauling, each man attached directly to the sledge. Joyce’s team were also man-hauling – heavier loads, but with the assistance of the four dogs. In his party Joyce was in the lead, followed by the dogs in a single file attached to Joyce’s rope, which went back to the sledge. The other five men were attached to the sledge.
They had some clear days where the sun could be so hot that it scorched their skin and they had to wear a large sun hat. But the cold in the shade under the hat was such that their ‘moustaches and whiskers became frosted and covered with ice, making their nostrils sting and tingle painfully’.1
Joyce’s party of six men had two primus burners, one for each tent, but one started to play up. Joyce was undecided on whether to have his team stay together to help take stores to the 81°S depot point, or to send back three men at 80°S. They attempted to fix the primus by putting a wire ring made from a dog muzzle inside the primus burner to try to prolong its life. The primus then seemed to be working reasonably well, cooking their hoosh in nineteen minutes where the specified time was twenty minutes, so the heating capacity was not affected.2 However, on 5 January Joyce made the decision to send back three of his party.
Mackintosh’s intentions were that he, Spencer-Smith and Wild would be the only party to go all the way out to Mount Hope, with Joyce’s party turning back at some stage. On the first day of the year he issued Joyce with more written instructions.
1 Jan 1916.
…On arrival at 81 South the party of which you are in charge will separate. Yourself, Messrs Richards and Hayward proceeding to 82 South or beyond. Messrs Cope, Gaze & Jack returning to Hut Point.
I would like it to remain, as regarding your proceeding beyond 81 South, I will leave it to your own discretion, provisions, etc permitting.
Cairns & any distinguishing marks you will put up as you proceed. Wishing you all the best,
Yours faithfully
signed
Commander
RSP3
Hayward summarised Mackintosh’s plan: ‘1 Jan: After some discussion it was decided & written instruction given to Joyce that he, Richards & I were to go as far as possible taking into account quantity of stores available, whilst Jack, Cope & Gaze were to return at 81°S.’4
Wild: ‘1 Jan: The other party are about ½ mile ahead. We’ve just had a good feed of seal meat & pemmican & finished up with cocoa & raisons.’5
Joyce: ‘1 Jan: Skipper keeping up pretty fair. Dogs going well. Towser still short winded I have to stop every ¼ of an hour + give him 5 minutes spell. Work too hard for them.
‘Distance during day 9-1200, a splendid performance on this surface.’6
Spencer-Smith: ‘2 Jan: The track of the others crossed ours at about one mile, almost at right angles. We can see them now far away to the right, probably they wandered in the mist.’7
Joyce:
3 Jan: Jack from the next tent called me over + reported his Primus was failing which makes things very awkward as their party have to leave us at 81°S. The thing is whether to send them back now or take them on to 81° + play chances with it ourselves. As no doubt we must get stores to 81° so after a lot of thinking I will do that if my 2 tent mates are agreeable.
There don’t seem to be any happy medium 1st one thing or another but I think we shall win through at the finish with the aid of ‘Provy’8
Hayward: ‘Before reaching depot at 80° S primus in my tent went bang & Joyce with our approval decided that it would be best to bring into force the above mentioned arrangement on reaching the depot @ 80°.’9
Wild: ‘3 Jan: I’m just going to cut my whiskers & mous.’10
Spencer-Smith’s thoughts were of home: ‘3 Jan: Spent the afternoon in a motor picnic to Stobo* with T&V and telling fairy tales to K&XXX.’11
Joyce:
4 Jan: Under way as usual. Overcast. Going about same as yesterday. Sun came out 11-30 First time we have seen it for some time. It has been very hot + we have been travelling in singlet. I had my drawers turned up + got my legs badly burnt with the sun. The Distance done during day 10-200 a good days performance.
I had another look at Primus of the next tent + find it is worse than I thought as we arrive at 80° on Thursday with luck. I shall decide there.12
Joyce:
5 Jan: Told Cope, Gaze + Jack they would have to return when we arrived at 80° on account of Primus. I am very pleased to get rid of Gaze & Jack as they have not been playing the game very much but Cope has been rather good, always willing + doing his best.
But as the strongest have to go forward for the relief I had to send him back in charge of the others.13
6 January 1915
On 6 January Joyce’s team reached and stocked the 80°S depot. Cope, Gaze
and Jack then turned back to the north. Later that day, the party of Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild met the three men heading northwards. Irvine Gaze spoke to Spencer-Smith and told him that he believed Joyce wanted to go on to Mount Hope and meet Shackleton.14
Joyce:
Under way as usual. Sighted Bluff Depot. Weather very thick arrived at Depot 10-45. Told parties about returning. Gaze + Jack made usual silly suggestions but I told them they would have to go.
Loaded our sledge to 1200 lbs 12 Weeks + Dogs food. I thought + so did everyone we should have a bad time in starting but to our surprise, we ran ahead the dogs pulling for all they were worth. We then put on another case of Biscuits. Surface pretty fair. fair wind + sail set. Camped as usual Distance 5 miles-1400. A splendid performance. Load 1280 lbs.15
Hayward:
Without much opposition this was duly carried out & we (Joyce R & myself) got away from 80° @ 2 o/c pm on 6 Jan 16 (all fit) with 11½ wks of provisions fully prepared & able to lay depots for Shackleton’s support at 81°, 82°, 83° & 83°.30´ Mt. Hope. This same afternoon we did 5 miles before camping.16
Spencer-Smith: ‘At about 3.45 met Cope, Irvine and Jack sent back with a defective primus. They gave us news of Joyce’s plans and also 1 lb of onions and of pair of finnesko. Joyce carrying 11 weeks has 4 hours start on us, we have 5 weeks. “TimeoDanaosetdonaferentes”.’17
(His Latin quote translates to ‘I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts’, which may have meant beware of Joyce. However, none of the others wrote of Joyce’s supposed intention to go on to Mount Hope and Richards made no mention of it in any of his later interviews.)
Wild: ‘We met Cope, Jack & Gaze three miles off going back. Something the matter with their primus. The others have got 4 hours start on us. I hope we will catch them up in a couple of days.’18
Six men continue on: the Mount Hope Party
Now heading south with 210 miles to Mount Hope were six men, the ‘Mount Hope Party’. They continued to travel as two teams: Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild in one, and Joyce, Hayward and Richards, with the four dogs, in the other.