Review
'A worthy memorial of one of the great achievements of our time' WINSTON CHURCHILL 'A battle cry to the youth and manhood of England' DAILY MIRROR --Daily Mirror
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
A world of words has been written about this book, and none of them got it completely right! For while this is certainly the true story of how Captain Scott and his team of British explorers died trying to reach the South Pole, it is also the hitherto overlooked story of amazing equine courage in the face of certain death.
When Captain Perry of America reached the North Pole in 1909, all eyes, especially English eyes, turned to the South Pole. The British Empire was at its zenith and national expectations were high that an Englishman should be the one to claim the other ice-bound crown. Captain Robert Scott was elected to carry British honour to that forbidden spot known as the South Pole. Yet not only did Scott enlist men, in an unlikely move he also recruited nineteen Siberian ponies raised by the Yakute tribesmen in Russia’s frozen forests. These little equine heroes had no idea where they were heading when Scott’s brother-in-law loaded them on a ship and sailed them away from Russia to the far off shores of Antarctica.
What followed is an under-reported and over-looked example of supreme equestrian sacrifice. First the ponies survived howling gales on the sea. Upon arrival, they donned special snow shoes and pulled their guts out to get Scott’s sleds through. Some of them were lost on a break-away iceberg and eaten by killer whales. The others starved. They suffered. In short, these 19 little heroes gave their all, and all for naught, for as we know Scott and his men died as well in their attempt to claim the Southern Crown.
Thus “Scott’s Last Expedition” is not only a story of men. It is but another example of that link between mankind and equine-kind that has stretched back 30,000 years. It is a remarkable and heart-moving story of men and horses who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
When Captain Perry of America reached the North Pole in 1909, all eyes, especially English eyes, turned to the South Pole. The British Empire was at its zenith and national expectations were high that an Englishman should be the one to claim the other ice-bound crown. Captain Robert Scott was elected to carry British honour to that forbidden spot known as the South Pole. Yet not only did Scott enlist men, in an unlikely move he also recruited nineteen Siberian ponies raised by the Yakute tribesmen in Russia’s frozen forests. These little equine heroes had no idea where they were heading when Scott’s brother-in-law loaded them on a ship and sailed them away from Russia to the far off shores of Antarctica.
What followed is an under-reported and over-looked example of supreme equestrian sacrifice. First the ponies survived howling gales on the sea. Upon arrival, they donned special snow shoes and pulled their guts out to get Scott’s sleds through. Some of them were lost on a break-away iceberg and eaten by killer whales. The others starved. They suffered. In short, these 19 little heroes gave their all, and all for naught, for as we know Scott and his men died as well in their attempt to claim the Southern Crown.
Thus “Scott’s Last Expedition” is not only a story of men. It is but another example of that link between mankind and equine-kind that has stretched back 30,000 years. It is a remarkable and heart-moving story of men and horses who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
About the Author
Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) led two expeditions to the Antarctic, the first in the Discovery (1900-04) and the second (1910-12) in the Terra Nova. These journals were found, along with Scott's body, several months after his death.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
