MEREDITH HOOPER
THE LONGEST WINTER: SCOTT’S OTHER HEROES
During Scott’s final and fatal 1912 Antarctic expedition, a ‘Northern Party’ of six was landed to undertake scientific research. However the ship that was due to collect them before winter struck could not reach them due to impenetrable pack ice. They were effectively abandoned and left to fend for themselves - the assumption being that they could kill and eat seals. This proved extemely challenging, as seals became scarce as winter set in.
Meredith Hooper describes the six men’s gruelling experience. They only had lightweight clothes and summer tents - which soon deteriorated to become unusable. They decided that their only chance of surviving through the the winter was to dig an ice cave. This they did, creating a space nine feet by twelve and five feet six inches high, within which all six lived and slept. The floor was covered in seaweed to provide a sleeping surface and some insulation. They rigged up a fireplace using pebbles as its base, with a chimney cut through the ice. This proved problematic, as the chimney would melt and the smoke was suffocating. It was also pitch dark until they rigged up a primitive light by melting blubber into a small Oxo tin.
Against the odds all six survived, and in September set off by foot on the 200 mile journey to base. They arrived safely in early November, having found two caches of stores along the route.
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The author Meredith Hooper was born and raised in Adelaide, Australia. After graduating in history at the University of Adelaide, she studied imperial history at Oxford University. She writes on science and history for both adults and children, with a special interest in Antarctica. She is the mother of Tom Hooper, Oscar winning director of the film The King’s Speech.
