This is a work of compilation.
As
a Dubliner, I have never been south of the equator, let alone anywhere near
Antarctica.
What follows is an
attempt to give place to Perce Blackborow in the telling of the story of Sir
Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Transcontinental Antarctic Expedition. In this, no
new research has been done, but various and sundry sources have been utilised
to create the narrative.
In Spring 2015, John
O’Reilly asked me about the possibilities of compiling information concerning
Perce with the creation of a poster of sorts in mind. I began using the more
easily accessible sources to see what could be done and, in a week or so,
produced a short sketch of my findings. However, I was unhappy with the piece.
I started again, turning then to a larger range of sources. To cut to the
point, I had produced the work below by May 2015, not sure what had happened in
the elapsed time.
It has been a challenge
to place Perce at the centre of the story for various reasons. Firstly, he
himself was a humble man and spoke little of his polar adventures after the
expedition. Compared to those among the crew whose diaries are available (e.g.
Thomas Orde-Lees, Frank Hurley) and those who later wrote of their experiences
(e.g. Sir Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley), there is a comparative lack of
sources for the young Welshman, Perce Blackborow. Despite the relative
egalitarianism of the Endurance,
Perce was still only a steward on board the ship—his position in the command
ranking of the ship insignificant. However, his young age, stowaway status,
friendliness and willing nature all contributed to his likeability among all
hands, and he was probably treated as an amicable rascal by those in the crew
that were up to twice his age. Hurley took him under his wing and Orde-Lees
recognised his abilities in the galley.
Perce was not involved in
the voyage in the James Caird or the
trek across South Georgia, the most renowned and famous part of the
expedition’s tale. He was among the twenty-two left behind waiting on Elephant
Island, where his severely frostbitten feet, and the later amputation of his
toes, kept him fairly inactive. This placed Perce away from the momentum and
outside the main action scene. However, understanding the four and a half
months spent on Elephant Island is crucial to appreciating the experience of
the expedition for the majority of the men as well as the fears that plagued
Shackleton, and how close it was to utter tragedy.
In following the story of
Perce in this account, the harrowing journey in the James Caird, and the most admirable exertions of its crew, have
been only briefly mentioned. However, it is hoped that the footnotes at the
relative points and the bibliography will provide the reader with sufficient
inspiration to look elsewhere to further inform their interest.
*
My time at the Shackleton
Endurance Exhibition at Dún Laoghaire has spanned from March 2014 to the
present. When I began, I was heavily absorbed by the final phases of an MA
programme in University College Dublin. For the first few months, until the
submission of my thesis, the exhibition afforded me a break from the material
in which I was completely submerged, but also gave me an opportunity, during a
hazy, lazy Saturday afternoon, to get some work done. Following the
commencement of my MA experience, the exhibition was a wonderful chance to
engage with something completely different from my early modern history
interests. Although I did my best to make seventeenth-century connections to
the story (via the Shackleton family’s Quakerism and other such historical
allusions) I had to ground myself in an unfamiliar epoch and get into
it—quickly.
Since then, with the
assistance and support of John O’Reilly and Donal O’Neill, I have learned so
much of polar exploration as well as operating a small museum space. I have researched
and written a few pieces for the exhibition’s blog and have learned to engage
with the online social media that has been such a success for the exhibition.
Donal has been instrumental in establishing the online presence and discovering
what works for us as a small museum in Dún Laoghaire with limited resources.
Although we aim to cater
to the individual visitors that walk through our door, there have been a few
things along the way that have caught my attention and interest and have
converted into information, anecdotes, and extra context that I have provided
for our visitors. In no particular order, this has, at one time or another,
included:
The
Shackleton family; religious, cultural origins of the family and Sir Ernest; his Irish background and his dual identity; his leadership
qualities; his worldview and religiosity/ spirituality; his character and ambition; his love and use of poetry throughout his life;
The
place of Shackleton’s expeditions in the story of Antarctic exploration;
British colonial and exploration traditions and those of the Norwegian
explorers of the Antarctic; the logistics and planning of the expedition; the
characteristics of the men of the Endurance;
the day-to-day living aboard; the significance of the dogs for the men; the
diet and activities of the crew during the different stages of the ill-fated
expedition; the livings of those on Elephant Island and those of the James Caird party; the rescue’s delays
and the context of the First World War on the expedition;
The
post-Endurance careers and lives of
the men involved; Shackleton’s legacy and that of Capt. Scott and others; the
historiography of the expedition and of Shackleton; dramatic and literary
adaptation of the Endurance epic.
In these and innumerable
other topics, I have enjoyed discussions with visitors and many light-hearted
chats with Donal as we sipped coffee and interspersed good music, humour and
informed opinions of all matters Shackletonian.
*
A welcome variation to
the standard day at the exhibition has been visiting school groups. As the
wonderful story of Tom Crean has been become part of the primary school
syllabus (to the approval of teachers and students alike), we have had many
schools come to the exhibition. After a short welcome, the children watch the
documentary Shackleton's Antarctic
Adventure. An often amusing chat and question session then occurs.
Assembled into small groups the children then use the photographs, information
panels, an occasional hint from myself and/or Donal, and the videos to answer a
short quiz sheet. This format has always proved popular and congenial to the
discussions we have with the class groups that have ranged from senior infants up
to sixth class.
The books that we have
stocked at the exhibition for a younger audience have also been popular. They
are a pleasant blend of illustrations showing the experiences of the crew and
the scenes of the Antarctic continent. Though based aboard the Terra Nova expedition, Tom Crean’s Rabbit has consistently been
a favourite. Michael Smith’s shorter versions of his works on Shackleton and
Crean have been used in primary schools and have been read by many of our
younger visitors.
Michael Smith’s 2014
biography, Shackleton: By Endurance We
Conquer (Collins Press), has augmented and broadened the field of study of
Shackleton and the expeditions to the Antarctic. We had the pleasure of
Michael’s presence at the exhibition and the Royal St. George Yacht Club Dun
Laoghaire, just prior to the 14th Annual Ernest Shackleton Autumn School in
2014. Following a wine reception in the exhibition, Michael gave an engaging
lecture in the Royal St. George to a very entertained audience.
The publication of the
recent biography of Shackleton mirrors the continued, and increasing, interest
in the person of Shackleton in Ireland. There is a greater knowledge on this
side of the Irish Sea of Sir Ernest’s Irish birth (Kilkea, Co. Kildare) and a
more visible willingness to understand the duality of his identity and that of
many others like him. Another example of this would be the desire to see the
place and role of Irish men and women in the conflict that coincided with the Endurance expedition, World War I.
Perhaps the recent discussion concerning a possible statue to commemorate
Shackleton in Ireland speaks more of this than I possibly can, here, in this
space. Nevertheless, the sustained engagement with the life and polar ambitions
of Shackleton can only continue and lead to other insights into his character
and that of the society from which he emerged.
LM,
Dublin,
Sept 2015.