South! by Ernest Shackleton

Shackleton became seriously ill and had to return home but had gained valuable experience.īack in Britain, Shackleton spent some time as a journalist and was then elected secretary of the Scottish Royal Geographical Society. With Scott and one other, Shackleton trekked towards the South Pole in extremely difficult conditions, getting closer to the Pole than anyone had come before. In 1901, Shackleton was chosen to go on the Antarctic expedition led by British naval officer Robert Falcon Scott on the ship 'Discovery'. He travelled widely but was keen to explore the poles. Rejecting his father's wish that he become a doctor, he joined the merchant navy when he was 16 and qualified as a master mariner in 1898.

The family moved to London where Shackleton was educated. © Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer, best known for leading the 'Endurance' expedition of 1914-16.Įrnest Henry Shackleton was born on 15 February 1874 in County Kildare, Ireland.