The women behind the explorers: How the wives of Shackleton and Scott 'inspired them to make their

expeditions'
By Anna Edwards PUBLISHED: 08:25, 12 August 2013 | UPDATED: 10:51, 12 August 2013

32 shares 26 View comments

Their extraordinary bravery has made them legends . But one woman claims that the real force behind the daring voyages of Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott were their wives. Kari Herbert, daughter of Polar explorer Sir Wally Herbert, believes that it was only down to the urging of the explorers wives - plus their desire to impress them - that spurred on Britain's most greatest South Pole explorers.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott relied on the strength and encouragem ent of his w ife Kathleen to continue his explorations

The 42-year-old, who is no stranger to an explorer's life, has written a book about the women usually overlooked in the lives of Shackleton and Scott. But without them, she claims, the voyagers would never have had the confidence to pursue their pioneering plans.

Kari Herbert has penned a book about the vital role explorers' w ives have played

It was down to their support and encouragement - combined with Sir Ernest's desire to impress his future wife Emily Dorman and ask for her hand in marriage - that was the backbone of their fortitude to continue exploring, Ms Herbert says. Herbert has penned Polar Wives, bringing together the compelling stories of seven adventurous women. She writes about the essential role the women played in supporting, publicizing, defending, and even financing their husbands' expeditions. She follows these faithful women not only to the polar wastelands but through war torn Macedonia and the Australian outback. The women written about are gifted sculptor Kathleen Scott (wife of Captain Robert Falcon Scott); eccentric traveller Jane Franklin; spirited poet Eleanor Anne Franklin; Jo Peary, the first white woman to travel and give birth in the High Arctic; talented and determined Emily Shackleton (wife of Sir Ernest Shackleton); Norwegian singer Eva Nansen; and Kari's own mother, adventurer Marie Herbert. She told the Edinburgh International Book Festival: 'I was hearing the voices of these women who had never been heard before,' the Daily Telegraph reported. The two explorers' daring exploits are famous around the world - but it is their final voyages that proved just how brave and determined they were. Captain Scott set off on his expedition to reach the South Pole from Wales in June 1910, with mechanical sledges, ponies and dogs.

Ernest Shackleton w on the hand of his w ife Em ily after he proved how brave he could be as an explorer, Herbert claim s

But they were beaten to the South Pole by Norwegian Roald Amundsen, and began to make a return journey. By January 1912, only five remained: Captain Robert Falcon Scott, 43, and his team of Dr Edward Wilson, Captain Laurence Oates, Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Petty Officer Edgar Evans, But it went tragically wrong and all five perished from either starvation or exposure by March 29 1912. In 1914, experienced explorer Shackleton made his third trip to the Antarctic with the ship 'Endurance', planning to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Early in 1915, 'Endurance' became trapped in the ice and after it sank ten months later they set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island. Taking five crew members, Shackleton spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia, finding help who would rescue the crew in August 1916.

Sir Ernest's fourth - and last - expedition aimed to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent but on 5 January 1922, he died of a heart attack just off South Georgia.

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Comments (26)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View newest 10 Same old same old .... take the bins out - - pop down the shops - - - take the dog for a walk - - - we;'re short of ice, pop out and get some - Old Chap, Caribbean, Grenada, 12/8/2013 18:45 Click to rate Report abuse Some women are pathetic. Women's ego is such that they can't stand the thought that men may be inspired to do something that isn't the result of something to do with women. - Thanatos, London, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 18:36 Click to rate Rating 2 Rating 1

Report abuse My wife urges me me to go further south almost everyday. Warmer than the pole , I suppose. - Kevin, Newcastle, 12/8/2013 17:49 Click to rate Report abuse Martin, Newmarket 12/8/2013 13 : 46 ~~~~~~~~Scott's biased decision to omit Crean from the final selected team intending to reach the pole cost him dearly, I think.. ~~~~~~~~~~He chose Evans and Oates above him, both of whom were unfit physically and mentally,~~~~~~~~~another bad choice, but a premeditated one, I would say,~~~~~~~~~ - onewhoknows, manchester, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 17:01 Click to rate Report abuse Inspired them? They did it to get away from them! - Mark R, COVENTRY, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 17:01 Click to rate Report abuse Great achievements no doubt and often at terrible cost but why anyone would want to go to the South (or the North) Pole is something I cannot understand. - schnurrli, zenda, Austria, 12/8/2013 13:23 ## The classic reply to your question is (but apologies if you've heard it already) "Because they are there..." - Hotspur, Geneva, 12/8/2013 14:22 Click to rate Report abuse have no time for men who risk life and limb when they have a family, pure selfishness,and they were probably just avoiding doing the decorating anyway. - b ward, newport, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 14:17 Click to rate Report abuse Shakleton has always been a great British hero whose amazing feat of returning for his crew was overshadowed by World War One. What a patient woman his wife must have been. No iPhones in those days. - Rose, Townsville, Queensland, 12/8/2013 13:52 Click to rate Report abuse Strange, but repeated coincident, that the name of THOMAS CREAN is once again omitted from the list of crewmembers~~~~~~~~He accompanied both Scott and Shackleton on their expeditions, exhibiting extraordinary bravery and heroism with each,~~~~~~~~~Intuitively I KNOW the reason, ~~~~~~~~~~But do the PUBLIC????? - onewhoknows , manchester ------------------- The only crew members mentioned are those who went to the pole with Scott and died there with him. Thomas Crean didn't, which is why he wasn't mentioned. So what is your point? - Martin, Newmarket, 12/8/2013 13:51 Click to rate Rating 6 Rating 14 Rating 13 Rating 4 Rating 3 Rating 1 Rating (0)

Report abuse Behind every great man there is often a better woman. I have had a moderate success of my life that I never would have achieved without my dear wife. i owe everything to her and her support. - Johnny Norfolk, Norfolk, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 13:46 Click to rate Report abuse Great achievements no doubt and often at terrible cost but why anyone would want to go to the South (or the North) Pole is something I cannot understand. - schnurrli, zenda, Austria, 12/8/2013 12:23 Click to rate Report abuse Great achievements no doubt and often at terrible cost but why anyone would want to go to the South (or the North) Pole is something I cannot understand. - schnurrli, zenda, Austria, 12/8/2013 12:20 Click to rate Report abuse Why are these two prize prats regarded as heroes? Everything they did turned to disaster. Trying to reach the South Pole with ponies, getting iced up for months - why do we celebrate our worst calamities and our most hopeless twerps? gerryO, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 11:48 ---------------------- I would defy anyone to read what Shackleton actually did and still make such an idiotic comment as the one above. - George, Durham, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 12:04 Click to rate Report abuse Strange, but repeated coincident, that the name of THOMAS CREAN is once again omitted from the list of crewmembers~~~~~~~~He accompanied both Scott and Shackleton on their expeditions, exhibiting extraordinary bravery and heroism with each,~~~~~~~~~Intuitively I KNOW the reason, ~~~~~~~~~~But do the PUBLIC????? - onewhoknows, manchester, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 11:52 Click to rate Report abuse @ Behind every great man there's a good woman - bille1319, portrush, 12/8/2013 9:49 Like Eva Braun and Rosemary West you mean? Or is it only the the good ones you feminists claim? - McCormack , Purbrook _______ I hardly think that either woman's other half would be referred to as "great man", so you've shot yourself in the foot, twice :) - E J Murray, In the real world, 12/8/2013 11:52 Click to rate Report abuse Why are these two prize prats regarded as heroes? Everything they did turned to disaster. Trying to reach the South Pole with ponies, getting iced up for months - why do we celebrate our worst calamities and our most hopeless twerps? - gerryO, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 11:48 Rating 9 Rating 1 Rating 34 Rating 5 Rating 5 Rating 5

Click to rate Report abuse

Rating 15

i wanted to read this but 'most greatest' put me right off.... - shivs, edinburgh, (null) .....and me. - honi soit que mal y pense, Avalon, 12/8/2013 11:43 Click to rate Report abuse i wanted to read this but 'most greatest' put me right off.... - shivs, edinburgh, 12/8/2013 11:23 Click to rate Report abuse @ Behind every great man there's a good woman - bille1319, portrush, 12/8/2013 9:49 Like Eva Braun and Rosemary West you mean? Or is it only the the good ones you feminists claim? - McCormack, Purbrook, 12/8/2013 11:20 Click to rate Report abuse Yes it was all down to the women, God bless them all. Yawn. - Graham, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 12/8/2013 11:02 Click to rate Report abuse Really getting sick of the bad grammar DM - "most greatest" ? You hire 12 year olds? - Rollingthunder, Vancouver, 12/8/2013 11:01 Click to rate Report abuse Behind every great man there's a good woman. - bille1319, portrush, 12/8/2013 9:49 Click to rate Report abuse Perhaps they just wanted to get away from the nagging? - E J Murray, In the real world, 12/8/2013 9:26 Click to rate Report abuse It must have been difficult married to either of those two. Any sensible woman would encourage them to go and explore the pointless icy wastes. In the modern world they are encouraged to get their handicap down. - Ruadon, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, 12/8/2013 8:59 Rating 16 Rating 4 Rating 18 Rating 5 Rating 2 Rating 21 Rating 19

Click to rate Report abuse

Rating 6

Sounds to me like they wanted to get rid of them for a while. - johno1, Birmingham, 12/8/2013 8:49 Click to rate Report abuse On the other hand........................... perhaps the rigours of the antarctic are preferable to the rigours of staying at home with the Mrs. - The thinker, Gotham, 12/8/2013 8:41 Click to rate Report abuse Rating 10 Rating 13

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