Page 276 - The Secret Museum

(1874–1922). He may first have worn it between 1901 and 1904 during the

Discovery Expedition, when he and Captain Robert Falcon Scott sledged in
Antarctica to 82 degrees south; the furthest south anyone had been at that time.
Shackleton was sent home early from that trip on health grounds. Inspired by his first
taste of Antarctic exploration, he returned to Antarctica in 1907 as leader of the
Nimrod Expedition, in part sponsored by the RGS.

Nimrod was the name of the boat he took to Antarctica. He set off with it from
New Zealand. On board the ship from England to collect Nimrod in the Antipodes, he
met a theatre impresario called Frank Thornton who was on his way to Australia to

produce a play, When Knights were Bold. The two became friends and Shackleton
gave Thornton his balaclava as a keepsake. He wrote a message upon it:

To Frank Thornton: I give this helmet though it is not of any use in his
combat in ‘When Knights were Bold’ it may be liked as it was worn ‘When
Nights were Cold’ when the most Southerly point in this world was reached
by man. With kindest wishes from E. H. Shackleton 19/01/1907.

In January 1909, Shackleton made it even further south, just 180.6 kilometres from

the pole. He was disappointed not to get to the Pole, but his wife, Emily, later
recorded: ‘The only comment he made to me about not reaching the Pole was “a live
donkey is better than a dead lion, isn’t it?” and I said, “Yes, darling, as far as I am
concerned.”’ In 2010, five crates of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Scotch
whisky left behind by Shackleton’s team were found, and Whyte & Mackay, who own
the Mackinlay brand, have now successfully recreated it by matching it, using
chemical analysis. Frank Thornton’s play went on a successful tour of Australia and
Tasmania.

If you want to see the hats, you can. The Royal Geographic Society is happy to
show people their collections. They haven’t a museum, so it’s all in their archive of
over 2 million items (including a million maps and half a million images), but they’ll
happily retrieve things for you. While you’re there, look out for modern-day
explorers planning their trips or regaling people with stories of their latest travels.