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Apsley Cherry-Garrard

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Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard was an English explorer who became famous for his experiences in Antarctica.

Family Cherry-Garrard
Family Cherry-Garrard

He was born in Bedford in 1886 to Apsley Cherry and Evelyn Edith Sharpin. He studied classics and modern history at Christ Church, Oxford. While at university, he won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta for rowing. Through a will from a great-aunt, his surname changed to Cherry-Garrard. This inheritance included the Lamer Park estate in Hertfordshire. Cherry-Garrard felt a strong need to follow his father's example of service. His father had fought with merit in India and China for the British Army.

In 1907, Cherry-Garrard decided to volunteer for the Terra Nova expedition. This was the second and final Antarctic expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott. Scott initially rejected his application because he wanted scientists. Cherry-Garrard applied a second time and offered money to help cover expedition costs. Even after a second rejection, he made the donation anyway. This gesture impressed Scott, and with help from Edward Adrian Wilson, Scott accepted him. He joined the team as an assistant zoologist at the age of 24.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard sledge flag
Apsley Cherry-Garrard sledge flag

The expedition arrived in Antarctica on January 4, 1911. During the summer, Cherry-Garrard helped lay food and fuel depots. These depots were meant to support the team traveling toward the South Pole. In July 1911, he joined Wilson and Henry Robertson Bowers on a winter journey. Their goal was to find unhatched emperor penguin eggs at Cape Crozier. Scientists hoped to study the embryos to understand how birds evolved from reptiles.

Emperor Penguin eggs
Emperor Penguin eggs

This trip was incredibly difficult due to the darkness and extreme cold.

Cherry-Garrard suffered from high myopia, which is severe nearsightedness. He could not wear his spectacles while sledging in the wind. The men had to man-haul their sledges across the ice. Because the ice surface was poor, they could not drag both sledges at once. They had to relay, moving one sledge and then returning for the other. This process was very inefficient and slowed their progress significantly. They reached Cape Crozier after 19 days of travel. They built a small shelter using a rock wall and a canvas roof.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard & typewriter
Apsley Cherry-Garrard & typewriter

A massive blizzard struck on July 22, 1911. The wind ripped their tent away and carried it off. The roof of their rock shelter also blew away a day later. The men had to sleep in their bags under growing snow drifts. They sang songs and hymns to keep their spirits high during the storm. When the wind stopped, they found their tent half a mile away. The extreme cold was so intense that Cherry-Garrard's teeth actually shattered from chattering. He later called this experience "the worst journey in the world."

In early 1912, Cherry-Garrard was tasked with a critical mission. He and a dog handler named Dimitri Gerov traveled to One Ton Depot. Their goal was to deliver food to Scott's South Pole team. They reached the depot on March 3, 1912. They waited there for seven days hoping to meet the returning party. However, temperatures dropped as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cherry-Garrard decided they must turn back on March 10 to avoid running out of dog food. Sadly, Scott's party did not reach the depot and died from hunger and cold.

Cherry-Garrard later became a writer to help process his experiences. In 1922, he published his memoir, *The Worst Journey in the World*.

Scott1
Scott1

The book is now considered a classic of travel literature. Some critics at the time disagreed with how he described Scott's leadership. During the Great War, Cherry-Garrard turned his family estate into a field hospital. He also worked in Belgium using bloodhounds to find wounded soldiers. He suffered from clinical depression and ulcerative colitis after his time in Antarctica. He lived in London until his death on May 18, 1959.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard's Grave
Apsley Cherry-Garrard's Grave
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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Family Cherry-Garrard.jpg
Family Cherry-Garrard.jpg
File:Apsley Cherry-Garrard sledge flag.png
Apsley Cherry-Garrard sledge flag.png
File:Apsley Cherry-Garrard & typewriter.jpg
Apsley Cherry-Garrard & typewriter.jpg
File:Scott1.jpg
Scott1.jpg
File:Apsley Cherry-Garrard's Grave.jpg
Apsley Cherry-Garrard's Grave.jpg
File:Emperor Penguin eggs.jpg
Emperor Penguin eggs.jpg
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