Edgar Evans
| Edgar Evans | |
|---|---|
Edgar Evans in 1911
|
|
| Born |
7 March 1876 Middleton, Rhossili, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Died | 17 February 1912 (aged 35) Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Rank | First Class Petty Officer |
| Memorials |
|
| Spouse(s) | Lois (1904-1912, his death) |
Petty Officer Edgar Evans (7 March 1876 – 17 February 1912) was a member of the "Polar Party" in Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole in 1911–1912. This group of five men, personally selected for the final expedition push, attained the Pole on 17 January 1912; but all of them, including Evans, perished as they attempted to return to their base camp.
Evans was born in Middleton, Rhossili,Wales, the son of a seaman. He attended St. Helen's Boys School from the age of six until he was thirteen, then enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1891, and in 1899 began service on HMS Majestic, where Scott was serving as a torpedo lieutenant.
Edgar Evans then joined Scott's first Antarctic expedition in Discovery in 1901–1904. Along with William Lashly, he accompanied Scott on his "Furthest West" sledge journey to the interior of Victoria Land in 1903.
Scott's biographer Roland Huntford described Evans as "a huge, bull-necked beefy figure" and a "beery womanizer" who was "running a bit to fat" by the time of Scott's second expedition in Terra Nova. Evans was nearly left behind in New Zealand when he drunkenly fell into the water while boarding the ship. However, held in high regard by Scott for "his resourcefulness, his strength and fund of anecdotes," Scott decided to overlook the incident.
Scott chose Evans as a member of his polar party, together with Lieutenant Henry Robertson Bowers, Lawrence Oates, and Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson. Scott described Evans as "a giant worker—he is responsible for every sledge, every sledge-fitting, tents, sleeping-bags, harness, and when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction with any one of these items, it shows what an invaluable assistant he has been". 11 weeks after setting off from base camp, the Polar party reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to discover that Roald Amundsen's 5-man party had beaten them to the Pole by 5 weeks.
...
Wikipedia