This book can be divided into three parts. The first 79 pages give a brief history of the Terra Nova British Antarctic expedition (1910−1913) under Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and the role each of the participants played on the expedition. The second section covers the naval and military service of certain ‘Antarctics’, whilst the third deals with the war's aftermath, following certain lives in peacetime. The appendices cover the expedition personnel, other Terra Nova crew and others associated with the expedition, with a very useful summary timeline and other information. The endnotes contain an extensive bibliography with a list of not only the author's sources, but in many instances recommended books and articles useful for both the novice and the seasoned researcher. Most importantly, Strathie's writing style is straightforward and concise, allowing her to cover a great deal of well-researched material in less than 200 pages. The book with its verifiable archival references has the credibility of a specialist work, but is also a highly accessible history attractive to both military and polar enthusiasts, offering plenty of insights into how men adapted to the battles on the fields of France and Flanders, and on the oceans of the world.
In the first section, the author uses as her focus the experiences of Lieutenant Henry Lewin Lee Pennell, the navigator who, with Lieutenant E.R.G.R. Evans in command, took the Terra Nova to the Antarctic. The first section gives a detailed account of his experiences as recounted in his previously unpublished diaries. The majority of the previous histories of the Terra Nova expedition have concentrated on the exploits of those on the ice, giving little about the experiences of the ship and its crew from their initial departure from Antarctica in January 1911 to their return to Britain in June 1913. This book recreates the experiences of the shipboard personnel in detail and paints a vivid picture of early 20th century British naval and middle-class life, resulting in a detailed recreation of the cosy social stability destabilized upon the outbreak of war.
Chapter 8, Antarctics on the seven seas, relates both the successful battles in which these men fought and the terrible disasters of the sinking of the Hogue, Aboukir and Cressy, in which over 1,500 men died (including former Terra Nova officer Lieutenant Henry Rennick, who drowned after giving up his lifebelt to another man). Chapter 9, Cavalry officers, chateaux and censors is based on the correspondence between the expedition's dog-driver Cecil Meares and his bride-to-be. From his own letters, understandably followed in this book, one would gather that Meares was a member of the Northumberland Hussars, and that he travelled with this unit to France. His official documentation in the National Archives (Meares medal card) tells a different story. Meares actually entered France on 21 September 1914 as an interpreter, whilst the Hussars landed at Zeebrugge two weeks later on 6 October (Baker Reference Baker and Associates1996). Meares was hence never a full member of the Hussars, but was externally attached to the Regiment as an interpreter with the rank of Second Lieutenant, serving on the staff and not as a combat cavalry officer.
The facts as given in Strathie's book also raise intriguing questions about the brevity of Meares’ stint alongside the Hussars. Unusually, he served only six months with them before being transferred to the RNVR [Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve] on 30 March 1915 and from there to the RNAS [Royal Naval Air Service]. Meares was in London in February 1915 for his wedding (page 104) and at some time prior to 30 March 1915 he was tested for his language capabilities by the RNVR, which proved that he was a ‘first-class’ Russian speaker (page 104; Meares RNVR record). In August 1914 there were only about 20 qualified Russian speakers in the RN (Navy List August Reference List1914: 432). As there were suggestions in 1915 of an Russian expeditionary force being sent to the Western Front, it is possible that the NID [Naval Intelligence Division] requested Meares’ transfer and promotion to ‘Chief of Intelligence and Transport’ for the 4th RNAS Squadron on the basis that he would be of more use working for the Navy as a senior Intelligence officer (with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander) than working as a Second Lieutenant interpreter with the Army. It is also possible that Meares himself contacted the NID for the transfer, as it cannot be denied that the posting to the RNAS, stationed on the coast at Dunkirk, was well out of the range of artillery bombardments. Whether ordered by the NID or at his own request, after March 1915 Meares never served in an active war zone for the rest of the war.
In 1919 Surgeon-Commander E.L. Atkinson made disparaging statements to his friend Apsley Cherry-Garrard regarding Meares’ ‘flying the white feather’ and ‘what I have heard of [Meares’] conduct in France’ (page 175). Strathie quotes the remark, but states that the ‘basis’ for it is ‘unclear’ (page 214). However, in my view Atkinson's accusation of cowardice (‘the white feather’) is entirely understandable if Atkinson was aware of Meares’ transfer from the Army to the RNVR in March 1915, and of the fact that by this transfer Meares had avoided the Second Battle of Ypres which resulted in about 60,000 British casualties. Atkinson's own courage was not in dispute. Though he had seen the horrors of war for himself during his first medical assignment, stationed in Gallipoli, this did not deter him from active service in 1916. Serving with diligence and perseverance that would ultimately earn him a DSO (London Gazette Reference Gazette1918), he was a senior medical officer with the Royal Marine Artillery Howitzer Brigade in charge of front line dressing stations, well within range of enemy artillery. During more than two years of service he was twice wounded and offered opportunities to return to England. Despite these offers of an honourable withdrawal, he stayed with his unit until he was reassigned in the summer of 1918, and subsequently put his own life in direct peril to rescue five men on the burning HMS Glatton, an action which earned him the Albert Medal for life-saving.
Strathie's book also pays due tribute to the equally interesting stories of Scott's other ‘Antarctics’. In her book we read of Edward Nelson's service with the Royal Naval Division in Gallipoli and France, and Nelson's connection with war poet Rupert Brooke and the arrest for desertion of sub-lieutenant Edward Dyett, resulting in Dyett's execution. We are also given Victor Campbell's distinguished service on land and sea, for which he was awarded the DSO and Bar. Chapter 16 covers the service of Norwegian Tryggve Gran as a pilot with the RFC, during which he was wounded and awarded the Military Cross. Meanwhile E.R.G.R. ‘Teddy’ Evans’ services were just as remarkable: he became a national hero and lauded in the press as ‘Evans of the Broke’ for his naval manoeuvres, and awarded the DSO and an early promotion to Captain. The female experience of war is also touched on with a lively account of Lieutenant Henry ‘Birdie’ Bowers’ sister Edie Bowers’ adventures as an nurse on the way to Serbia, though in this regard it is a pity to omit the work of Scott's widow Kathleen, whose skills as a sculptor helped in the pioneering reconstruction of soldiers’ disfigured faces, or the war service of Oriana Wilson, widow of Dr E.A. Wilson, who was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for her work with the New Zealand Red Cross.
Certain revisionist polar historians have made the superficial argument that polar exploration should supposedly be seen as a waste of naval resources during peacetime. However, this book demonstrates that the time the naval personnel spent on ‘the Ice’ was certainly not wasted in the run-up to war. The Antarctic, just like the battlefields and oceans, requires leadership, teamwork and extensive planning in preparation for its potentially deadly hazards. As a direct result of challenges faced and lessons learned on the Ice, Scott's ‘Antarctics’ such as Campbell, Atkinson, Evans, Debenham and Nelson were able to become effective leaders in wartime, and, in the case of Campbell and Evans, great leaders. Atkinson's DSO, for his command of the medical stations, can be directly traced back to his year-long command in 1912−13 of the Terra Nova expedition, his first experience of leadership. Also, were it not for his earlier participation in the Terra Nova expedition, the British would not have enjoyed the services of Tryggve Gran as a pilot fighting in defence of their country.
In Strathie's direct comparison of both environments it is difficult to avoid the message that, in this era, survival on both the battlefield and the ice was sometimes more a matter of luck than planning: a crevasse or a blizzard, or a torpedo, bullet or artillery shell (naval or military), could put an end to a person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whilst serving in combat units on the front, where the death rate was appalling, Atkinson, Campbell, Debenham and Nelson all survived. As naval officers, Rennick and Pennell had a comparatively far greater chance of survival, but died simply by serving on unfortunate ships. William Lashly was another example of sheer luck when, on 17 March 1915, his ship HMS Irresistible hit a mine and most of the crew in the engine room were killed. As a Chief Stoker, Lashly's duty station was in the engine room: he was extremely fortunate to have survived. Also the matter of ‘luck’ could easily be extended to the Dyett case, as only about 360 of the approximately 3,000 men found guilty of desertion and other offenses were actually executed. (However, if a soldier deserted at a crucial juncture, such as during an offensive or defensive action, where the outcome was uncertain, pardon was denied and executions would take place simply ‘pour encourager les autres’, as Voltaire remarked in Candide.)
It is perhaps a pity that a book dealing with Scott's ‘Antarctics’ did not also include the war experiences of those who had served with Scott on his earlier Discovery expedition (1901−1904). The war service of Discovery men provides further demonstrations of the courage and initiative of those who had earlier been on the ‘Ice’: one thinks, for example, of naval officers Michael Barne (mentioned in Dispatches during the sinking of HMS Majestic, and awarded a DSO for services with the Dover Patrol), G.F.A. Mulock (service at Gallipoli and Jutland; Mentioned in Dispatches, DSO), and Reginald Skelton (service at Jutland and in North Russia; Mentioned in Dispatches, DSO, CBE and Companion of the order of the Bath). These men await a study of their own, and hopefully a similarly thorough biographer will do their war service justice. In conclusion, this book is a well-documented and very readable study of the men of the Terra Nova in wartime, which amply demonstrates that these were extraordinary men even outside of their service on an extraordinary polar expedition.
