Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T15:25:49.109Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Captain Scott rewrote his story: January–June 1911

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2022

Bill Alp Open the ORCID record for Bill Alp [Opens in a new window]
Bill Alp*
Affiliation:
Independent Researcher, Wellington, New Zealand
*
Author for correspondence: Bill Alp, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article reveals that Captain Robert Falcon Scott rewrote his Terra Nova journals for the period 24 January to 18 June 1911, making extensive changes, in places. He made carbon copies of his journal from then until 31 October 1911. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) holds the combined manuscript as Carbon copy of diary as leader of British Antarctic Expedition, Jan. to Oct. 1911 with reference number RFS/1. This little-known version of Scott’s journals has apparently been overlooked by many researchers and scholars. The main research question addressed by the article is: “What was the significance of Captain Scott rewriting his story?” The article reviews two versions of Scott’s story – the published narrative Scott’s Last Expedition, and RFS/1. It investigates the provenance of each version and then reviews differences between the two texts. Three key differences stand out, suggesting the underlying pressures that drove Scott to rewrite his story in mid-1911. The article touches upon editorial changes made by Leonard Huxley in compiling Scott’s Last Expedition and contrasts those changes with changes made by Scott when rewriting the same passages. It also investigates the provenance of a typescript version of RFS/1 held by Canterbury Museum.

Keywords

Captain ScottCaptain Scott’s journalsTerra Nova expeditionCaptain Scott’s diaryCarbon Copy Diary
Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 58 , 2022 , e2
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alp, W. J. (2021). Captain Scott changed his mind: the dogs shall not go to the South Pole. Polar Record. 57 (e26), 1–15. doi: 10.1017/S0032247421000164 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowers, H. R. (1913). Handwritten Transcript of Six Diaries (Possibly Made by Caroline Oates). Wellington, New Zealand: Alexander Turnbull Library Micro-MS-0383.Google Scholar
Curzon, G. N. (1913). Letter to Kathleen Scott 17 April 1913. Cambridge, England: SPRI MS_841_1.Google Scholar
Evans, E. R. G. R. (1961). South with Scott. London, England: Collins Google Scholar
Jones, A. G. E. (Ed.) (1992). Scott’s transport, 1911–1912. In Polar Portraits – Collected Papers (pp. 262–293). Whitby, England: Caedmon of Whitby. (Reprinted from Polarboken, 1977)Google Scholar
Jones, M. (2003). The Last Great Quest. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kinsey, J. J. (1912a). Letter to Kathleen Scott 10 April 1812. Cambridge, England: SPRI MS 1453_126_1.Google Scholar
Kinsey, J. J. (1912b). Letter to Kathleen Scott 2 May 1912. Cambridge, England: SPRI MS 1453_126_2.Google Scholar
Kinsey, J. J. (1913). Letter to Kathleen Scott 25 February 1913. Wellington, New Zealand: Alexander Turnbull Library Micro-MS-0528.Google Scholar
Lyons, H. G. (1924). Miscellaneous Data, British (Terra Nova) Antarctic Expedition 1910–1913. London, England: Harrison & Sons Google Scholar
RGS (1915). [? Keltie, J.S.] Letter to Lady Scott 15 April 1915. London, England: RGS-IBG, In: CB8/2360 (Scott, R.F., File B).Google Scholar
Scott, K. (1913). Letter to Mrs. Dumas 9 March 1913. Cambridge, England: Scott PRI MS_761_27.Google Scholar
Scott, K. (1915). Letter to Dr Scott Keltie 31st March [? 1915]. London, England: RGS-IBG, In: CB8/2360 (Scott, R.F., File B).Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (1911a). The Diaries of Captain Robert Scott, (Facsimile of British Museum Add Mss 51024 to 51041). Tylers Green, England: University Microfilms Ltd.Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (1911b). Letter to J.J. Kinsey 28 October 1911. Wellington, New Zealand: Alexander Turnbull Library Micro-MS-0528.Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (1911c). Lecture Notes, 8 May 1911. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Museum, accession number 2010.102.1.Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (1911d). Carbon Copy of Diary as Leader of British Antarctic Expedition, Jan. to Oct. 1911. London, England: RGS-IBG RFS/1.Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (1911e). Captain Scott’s Private Diary 1911. Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Museum MS142.Google Scholar
Scott, R. F. (2006). Journals: Captain Scott’s Last Expedition. M. Jones (Ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Simpson, G. C. (1923). British Antarctic Expedition 1910 to 1913 Meteorology Vol III Tables. London, England: Harrison and Sons.Google Scholar
Wilson, E. A. (1972). Diary of the Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic 1910–1912. H. G. R. King (Ed.). London, England: Blandford Press.Google Scholar
Young, L. (1994). A Great Task of Happiness. The Life of Kathleen Scott. London England: Harper.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Alp supplementary material

Alp supplementary material

Download Alp supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 931.5 KB