Having heard Dad listening to something about Antarctica on the radio this morning I rushed downstairs to join him, he was listening to a programme on Radio 4 called Crossing Continents - telling the story of Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild and how the two families have recently returned to South Georgia to place Wild's ashes next to Shackleton's body.
Frank Wild is often forgotten, overshadowed by Shackleton, but was thought of extremely highly and was one of the most experienced Antarctic explorers of the time, accompanying 5 expeditions to the cold continent, he also fought in the First World War in between! Wild was critical in helping Shackleton save his entire crew and for this should be remembered. Frank Wild eventually died in 1939 having had a great impact on Antarctic exploration, serving with the two greats of Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott.
The story of Shackleton is an incredible one and an area I talk about often here on the blog so I'd urge you to find out more about a man described as one of the greatest leaders of all time. The Radio 4 programme will be aired again on the 2nd January or downloaded here. Lastly please check out the BBC article.