JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY SHACKLETON NEWS

CHRISTIE'S TRAVEL AND POLAR SALE IN SEPTEMBER 2006

The Annual Travel and Exploration Sale took place at Christie's, South Kensington on Wednesday 21 September 2006.

As usual, there were many items of particular interest to Shackletonians.
These included a dinner menu signed by Scott, Wilson, Nansen and others to mark the departure of Shackleton's 1907-9 Nimrod Expedition (Valued at £1,400-1,600); the Visitors' Book used aboard SY Nimrod, including signatures of prominent members of the expedition (valued at £10-15,000); a superb watercolour painting by Gregory Robinson of the Nimrod under tow; and an oil painting by George Marston of a sledging camp in a blizzard.

Other items included Shackleton's well-preserved marching navigational compass, with fitted case and brass mount, inscribed 'Carried by Sir Ernest Shackleton on his Antarctic Expedition 1909'; a copy of the limited edition of 'The Heart of Antarctic'; various photographs depicting sledges and the Arrol-Johnston motor car taken on the expedition; and an original copy of Aurora Australis, the expedition magazine produced in 1908.

Various ephemera relating to the 1907-9 Nimrod expedition included a fine photo portrait of Shackleton in cameo mount; an eight-page pamphlet entitled 'Souvenir of the lecture: 'Nearest to the South Pole' by Sir Ernest Shackleton (1909); and two sheets signed by Shackleton and the 15 other members of the shore party.

Three of Sir Ernest Shackleton's medals were sold: the Royal Victorian Order, the Polar Medal and the Legion d'Honneur. There was also a 1911 edition of the South POlar Times (vol. III, part 1); and several substantial collections of Frank Hurley's photographs and slides.

A portrait photograph of Shackleton presented in advance of the Endurance expedition carried a dedication saying 'To Frank Houlder with Ernest Shackleton's kindest regards, August 1914'.

Of two copies of South dated 1920, one was a presentation copy inscribed by Shackleton to Charles Green, Endurance's cook. The inscription reads 'C.J.Green from Ernest Shackleton in remembrance of all sorts of cooking places but always well cooked food. 1920.' and bears the signatures of several other crew members. There was also a collection of photographs and memorabilia amassed by Green.

Of especial interest was a letter from 'Skipper' Frank Worsley to the firm of Petersen's, Ltd., of Christchurch, New Zealand, thanking them fo their attentiveness in repairing the chronomoter used by Worsley in navigating Shackleton's expedition of 1914-6 aboard Endurance. It was Worsley, of course, who navigated the James Caird on its 800-mile journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia.

There was a memoir of the other half of the 1914 expedition: the Ross Sea Party, based at Scott's old hut. This was the diary of Rev.Arnold P.Spencer-Smith, who was the first ordained clergyman to set foot on the Antarctic continent. He was the photographer of the party, and was involved in laying out supply bases to thr Beardmore glacier before he and others succumbed to bad scurvy in appalling conditions.

Another attractive item was an oak-mounted 8-inch diameter silver swallow with the (poignant) inscription 'Quest RYS 25th Sept 1921-5th Jan 1922', which formerly belonged to Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Two flags were put on sale: a White Ensign from the Quest, which belonged to Lt.Cdr. Douglas Jeffery. He had volunteered for the Endurance expedition, but then withdrawn upon the outrbreak of war. After serving with distinction he leapt at the chance in 1921 to sail with Shackleton again and was signed up as navigating officer aboard Quest; and the Union Jack presented to the Quest expedition himself by King George V and later passed by His Majesty to John Quiller Rowett, the main sponsor of the expedition.