Antarctica, January 1912: Captain Robert Falcon Scott and four companions reach the South Pole only to discover that Roald Amundsen got there five weeks earlier, and none of them survive the return journey
Pole Reached, Disappointment Follows
SOUTH POLE, 17 January 1912 – Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the Royal Navy and four companions, Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, have reached the South Pole after a gruelling journey of around ten weeks across the Antarctic ice, hauling their own sledges for much of the way. They have found a tent, a Norwegian flag and a letter left by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, whose team reached the Pole on 14 December 1911, about five weeks earlier. Scott wrote in his diary: great God, this is an awful place.
The Race
Scott had led the British Terra Nova expedition with the aim of reaching the Pole first, along with a substantial scientific programme. Amundsen, who had originally planned to go to the North Pole, changed course secretly and sent Scott a telegram on the way announcing he was heading south. Historians note the two expeditions used very different methods. Amundsen, experienced in polar travel and influenced by Inuit techniques, relied on skilled skiers and large teams of dogs, some of which were killed along the way to feed the other dogs and the men. Scott used a mixture of motor sledges, which broke down, ponies, which struggled in the cold and were shot, dogs, which were sent back, and man-hauling, men pulling heavy sledges themselves, which was exhausting.
The Return
The return journey of some thirteen hundred kilometres became a struggle for survival in worsening weather. Edgar Evans, injured and weakened, died in February near the Beardmore Glacier. Lawrence Oates, suffering from severe frostbite and gangrene in his feet and aware he was slowing the others down, walked out of the tent into a blizzard in March. According to Scott diary, Oates said: I am just going outside and may be some time. He was never seen again. Historians regard it as one of the most famous acts of self-sacrifice in British history.
Scott, Wilson and Bowers struggled on but were trapped in their tent by a blizzard only around eighteen kilometres from a large supply depot, One Ton Depot. They died there in late March 1912. Scott last diary entries include a message to the public, ending, for God sake look after our people.
Found
A search party found the tent in November 1912, with the bodies of the three men, Scott diary, letters and around sixteen kilograms of geological specimens, which they had continued to carry despite their exhaustion, as part of the expedition scientific work. The searchers built a snow cairn over the tent, topped with a cross made from skis. News of the deaths reached Britain in February 1913 and caused national mourning.
Debate
Scott was celebrated as a tragic hero for decades. From the 1970s, some writers criticised his planning and leadership, contrasting it with Amundsen efficiency. More recent studies have argued that unusually severe weather played a major part in the disaster. The debate continues. Amundsen himself paid tribute to Scott and his companions.
Meanwhile, in 2026
Who got somewhere first still causes heartache. The London Prat reports Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors after an anonymous source claimed the heir believes his brother read their uncle memoir first. Reports say reconciliation is off, and the uncle says he told everyone. Polar historians note that Scott and his companions are remembered not for coming second but for their courage and loyalty to each other, and suggest that being first is rarely what matters most.
The London Prat has been just going outside since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, with its royal row video on YouTube. Bohiney at https://bohiney.com/ covers American polar exploration.
Study Questions for Students
Why did Amundsen reach the Pole first? What went wrong on Scott return journey? Why is Oates remembered? Discuss, wrapped up warmly.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/