Biography of Shackleton Beginning Name Ernest Shackleton Date

Biography of Shackleton

Beginning • Name: Ernest Shackleton • Date and place of Birth: 15 th February, 1874 in County Kildare, Ireland • Date of Death: 5 th January, 1922 in Grytviken, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. • He was the second oldest child in the family

Early life When Shackleton was young, his father was a doctor and he wanted Ernest to be a doctor like him. However, Ernest had other ideas. He really enjoyed reading interesting books and had a great imagination. He wanted to become an explorer and he wanted to go on magnificent adventures. At the age of 16, he joined the merchant navy as he wanted to become an explorer and discover new worlds. When he was 18 he was promoted to first mate, which meant he was second in command of his ship and crew.

First Expedition-1901 • In 1901, aged only 25, he went to the South Pole and joined another explorer called Robert Scott and they got closer to the South pole than anyone had ever before. Unfortunately, Ernest became ill and had to leave his adventure early before he reached the South Pole.

Second Expedition-1907 • Even though Shackleton and his team failed their first expedition they decided to try again. They encountered rough weather conditions on the treacherous journey. They were only 180 km away from the South Pole, a new record. His team climbed Mount Erebus and they made lots of important scientific discoveries. He was knighted on his return to Britain. He was the leader of the ship called Nimrod.

Third Expedition • In 1914, Shackleton made an advertisement and warned everyone that there would be cold temperatures, low wages and there would be dangerous conditions. He began his adventure on the ship called Endurance. Unfortunately, in January the ship became stuck in some ice and then they had to abandon the ship. They also had to live on ice for a few months. In the spring, when the ice began to melt, Shackleton and some of his men, launched a rescue mission. All of his team survived, amazingly.

Conclusion • Sadly, on 15 th January 1922 , Shackleton died because of a heart attack in Grytviken, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Several crates of whisky and brandy were found in the South Pole that were left behind. In 2002, the BBC carried out a poll to find the ‘ 100 Greatest Britons’; Shackleton reached eleventh position. In London, there is a statue of Shackleton.

Task 2 - Write a letter in response to the advertisement. Make sure you include all the reasons why you would make an excellent crew member and why you should go on the journey.

Dear Ernest Shackleton, I am writing in response to your advertisement which was in the local paper. You asked for strong, big men to help you on your journey to the treacherous South Pole to help you achieve your adventure. Firstly , I consider myself as a strong , mighty man and I think I would be great for the job of going to the South Pole because I could help everyone on the journey. Secondly, I can carry men when they are injured and hurt. Also, I can carry equipment up off the boat as well and be very helpful. Thirdly , I can cheer people up when they are down by telling them a joke or by comforting them. I can also mend the boat when it has a leak and I can cook some of the food, which would help all the crew mentally. I would be up for the challenge and never let things get me down. Yours Sincerely, Harry Godwin