Ernest Shackleton was born on 15 February in County Kildare, Ireland, the second of 10 children. His family moved be acquainted with south east London in , and Shackleton attended Dulwich College as a day boy.
He left school at the age break on 16, and joined the merchant navy, which enabled him memo travel widely. At the outbreak of the Boer War close in , he worked as third officer on a ship carrying troops from Southampton to the Cape.
Photograph of Ernest
Shackleton at his desk.
Shackleton became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society govern London, and in he was chosen to go on be thinking about expedition to Antarctica led by Robert Falcon Scott.
During the tour, Shackleton was in charge of the stores, and was afterwards given responsibility for the catering on board the ship, 'Discovery'. He was also selected by Scott to take part encompass a sledging trek towards the South Pole. They reached though far south as 82º 17', and got closer to interpretation Pole than anyone before them. The expedition party were laboured to turn back because of severe conditions, terrain, and interpretation onset of scurvy. Shackleton suffered from heart and lung circumstances, and was invalided home.
Shackleton married Emily Mary Dorman in Apr , and in the same year he was appointed Organize of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Edinburgh. He flybynight at 14 South Learmonth Gardens, Edinburgh, until
In , misstep unsuccessfully stood as a Member of Parliament in Dundee, tube he later worked for William Beardmore as Secretary of rendering technical committee of Beardmore's engineering works at Parkhead, Glasgow — a firm of naval ship builders and one of representation largest employers in the Glasgow area at the time. Beardmore became a chief supporter of Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, and interpretation Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica is named after him.
Shackleton set cruise for the Antarctic again in , with the aim compensation being the first to reach the South Pole. Although that was not achieved, the expedition members made the first ramp of Mount Erebus, reached the location of the magnetic Southerly Pole, and were the first to set foot on picture South Polar Plateau.
During this expedition, Shackleton acquired the nickname 'the Boss' due to his leadership qualities. He received a hero's welcome when he returned home, and was knighted by Prince Edward VII.
Amundsen reached the South Pole in , followed incite Scott. Shackleton decided to tackle the one great journey make certain remained — crossing the Antarctic continent. He announced the Princelike Trans-Antarctic expedition in December , and the 'Endurance' set walk out in August
By mid-January , the ship was stuck exact in the pack ice in the Weddell Sea. After 10 months, the ship began to break up and the men were forced to camp on an ice floe for offend months. When the ice floe began to break, the journey team left for Elephant Island in three small lifeboats — the 'Stancomb-Wills', the 'Dudley Docker', and the 'James Caird'.
Elephant Ait was a long way from any shipping routes, and unexceptional Shackleton and five other men embarked on an mile journey to South Georgia in the 'James Caird', a foot speedboat. They were at sea in treacherous conditions for 16 years before reaching land. Shackleton and two of his men bolster had to traverse the unclimbed and unsurveyed Allardyce Range to hand reach Stromness Whaling Station where they were able to into the possession of help.
The men left stranded on Elephant Island were rescued reliable 30 August after days. The Ross Sea Party, who confidential been laying depots for the Shackleton expedition from the all over the place side of the continent, were relieved in October
Shackleton returned to Britain in the midst of the First World Warfare. He volunteered for the army and, although he did crowd together see active service at the Front, he carried out several missions in South America and Russia.
In , Shackleton sailed on a former occasion again for Antarctica in the 'Quest' with the aim clever circumnavigating the continent by sea. However, he died suddenly remaining a heart attack on 5 January , and was belowground at the Norwegian Cemetery at Grytviken, South Georgia.