Shackleton Lost Three Men

[Stephen Whiteside]

Shackleton Lost Three Men

Stephen Whiteside 21.12.2012

We all know the story of Shackleton's quest.
He's gone down in legend as one of the best.
A source of amazement, of wonder, of pride,
That none of the men in his caravan died
...But Shackleton lost three men.

He chose an ambitious, most challenging goal.
He wasn't content just to reach the South Pole.
A full-scale traverse of that frozen land
Was the task he would tackle, a vision most grand,
And Shackleton lost three men.

They never made landfall for, caught in a vice,
By the terrible, turbulent, winter pack ice
(We've all seen the images, spars hung with frost),
'Endurance' was crushed, and the battle was lost,
And Shackleton lost three men.

They took to the life-boats. Through measures of guile and
Courage at last they reached Elephant Island;
Set up a camp and began to think through
All of the things that they needed to do,
And Shackleton lost three men.

On to South Georgia in one open boat,
Beating off ice blocks to keep them afloat,
They crossed the high range to the whaling station,
Building the legend that captured the nation,
Yet Shackleton lost three men.

Back to his heroes 'ere winter arrived
He sailed, to discover they all had survived;
No time to lose, it was all touch and go,
Yet pretty, and dainty - a mighty fine show,
But Shackleton lost three men.

For on the far side of that continent cold
Lay a secondary squad of adventurers bold
Who'd been given the thankless and difficult role
Of laying supplies back towards the South Pole.

For as he was nearing the end of his trip,
Weary and hungry and firm in the grip
Of incipient death, he would need these reserves.
(Pity the man who uncritically serves...)

Of course, though they puzzled, and spoke of his name,
The source of their labour, the Boss, never came.
What did they know of the stricken ship's fate?
Theirs but to labour from dawning to late.

Quickly conceived, with provisions too few,
These were a sorry, demoralised crew.
Perhaps most important, they suffered a lack
Of clear line of command - and three never came back.

So next time you hear of the glorious tale
Of Shackleton's triumphs against ice and gale,
Think of those valiant heroes of yore
Who laboured in vain on that land's farthest shore.
Think of their struggles. Think of their pain.
Think of the knot in that history's grain.
Think of their parents. Think of their wives.
Think of the value of three human lives.
Yes, Shackleton lost three men.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Well said Stephen and something to think on - the other side of the glory so to speak

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, it took quite a long time for the story to be told because there were strenuous efforts to suppress it.

It's a fine line between hero and villain, isn't it. I've heard it said that Shackleton would probably wind up in prison (like his brother) if tried to do today what he did back then.

I read in the papers recently of some fellow who's planning to re-trace Shackleton's epic voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Seems rather pathetic to me. Nobody wants to re-trace the voyage of the men who died...