Stories to Inspire: Robert Falcon Scott - The First British Explorer to Reach the South Pole

A renowned Story-teller and adventurer in his own right, Rob Caskie takes us into the race for the pole, expanding upon the decision-making process and its influence on Scott's expeditions. It is an intriguing story.

Was Robert Falcon Scott destined to race for the South Pole, or pressed to do so by the Royal Geographical Society and British public? His first attempt off the Discovery in 1901/4 was a disaster. The pressure mounted when Shackleton got 97 miles from the Pole in January 1909.

A combination of failures and unusual decisions conspired to doom Scott’s party, and found his supremely hardy party of 5 stumble upon the South Pole on 17th January 1912. Some authors suggest his men died psychologically in the moment they realised they had been beaten by Amundsen’s party. Could they make the 880 miles / 1,400 km back to the hut at Cape Evans?

This is a spellbinding story. Amundsen himself admitted he could never have man-hauled a sled to the Pole and back. Scott was destined to become a greater hero, tragically, dead.



Speakers

Program

  1. Login and Access Meeting

    This evening presentation will take place online via a 'Zoom' meeting (a widely used webcast meeting provider). We will provide further information, including an access link and password, to all attendees in advance of the event.

  2. Welcome and Presentation

    Rob Caskie takes us into the race for the pole, expanding upon the decision-making process and its influence on Scott's expeditions. It is an intriguing story.

    Speaker

    Rob Caskie

  3. Questions and Close

  4. End