The Diary of  W. Lashly.   A  record  of the return journey of the last supporting party with Capt. Scott to the South Pole, with a foreword by Admiral Sir Edward evans K.C.B., D.S.O. LL.D.

£12,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

One of the few genuine rarities from the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration . William Lashly (1867-1940) was a working class sailor from Hampshire who joined the Royal Navy in 1889. He saw service as a stoker in India and the West Indies before volunteering in 1901 for Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s British National Antarctic Expedition. He proved himself an invaluable member of the Discovery crew, and in particular rose to the gruelling physical and mental challenge of man hauling a sledge through the Antarctic terrain. When, in 1903, Lashly was on a sledging trip with Captain Scott and Petty Officer Edgar Evans, the latter two men fell through the ice into a deep crevasse. Lashly acted quickly, and with his characteristic strength, saved both of their lives. It’s little wonder that when Scott was putting together a crew for his 1910 Terra Nova expedition, he selected Lashly again from amongst the thousands of applicants. The diary was kept by Lashly during the sledge march towards the South Pole, in the winter of 1911-1912. Appointed second engineer servicing the experimental motor vehicles intended to give Scott’s expedition a technological edge, the unsuitability of this machinery meant they were soon abandoned. Thereafter, Lashly was paired in a harness with Lieutenant Evans, hauling together for three months. Serving as a support unit to the Polar Party, it was with some disappointment that Lashly, Tom Crean and Lieutenant Evans said farewell to Scott and the four other men

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