Captain Oates
| Lawrence Oates | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
17 March 1880 Putney, London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 17 March 1912 (aged 32) Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Titus Oates |
| Occupation | Cavalry officer, explorer |
Captain Lawrence Edward Grace "Titus" Oates (17 March 1880 – 17 March 1912) was a British army officer, and later an Antarctic explorer, who died during the Terra Nova Expedition. Oates, afflicted with gangrene and frostbite, walked from his tent into a blizzard. His death is seen as an act of self-sacrifice when, aware that his ill health was compromising his three companions' chances of survival, he chose certain death.
Oates was born in Putney, London in 1880, the son of William and Caroline Oates. His family was wealthy, having had land at Gestingthorpe, Essex, for centuries; his father moved the family there when his children were small after succeeding to the Manor of Over Hall, Gestingthorpe. His sister Lillian, a year older, married the Irish baritone and actor Frederick Ranalow. An uncle was the naturalist and African explorer Frank Oates.
Oates lived in Putney from 1885–1891. He was one of the first pupils to attend the nearby Willington School. He went on to Eton College but left after less than two years owing to ill health. He then attended an army "crammer", South Lynn School, Eastbourne. His father died of typhoid fever in Madeira in 1896.
In 1898, Oates was commissioned into the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. He saw active service during the Second Boer War as a junior officer in the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, having been transferred to that cavalry regiment as a second lieutenant in May 1900. He took part in operations in the Transvaal, the Orange River Colony, and Cape Colony. In March 1901 a gunshot wound shattered his left thigh bone, leaving it an inch shorter than the right. Twice called upon to surrender in that engagement, he replied, "We came to fight, not to surrender." He was recommended for the Victoria Cross for his actions and was brought to public attention.
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