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‘They are not the ponies they ought to have been’: revisiting Cecil Meares’ purchase of Siberian ponies for Captain Scott's British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition (1910–1913)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2015

Karen May  and
George Lewis
Karen May
Affiliation:
27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX ([email protected])
George Lewis
Affiliation:
27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX ([email protected])
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Abstract

Captain Robert Falcon Scott has been attacked in recent decades because his Terra Nova expedition (1910–1913) had to rely on substandard Siberian ponies. Certain commentators have argued that this was Scott's fault, but the available evidence indicates that blame should rest with the buyer Cecil Meares. Additionally, archive evidence indicates that Scott specifically requested Captain Lawrence Oates to travel to Siberia to assist Meares in 1910, and that Oates refused Scott's request.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 51 , Issue 6 , November 2015 , pp. 655 - 666
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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