Mawson

Mawson

Douglas Mawson was born in Bradford, Yorkshire but spent most of his life in Australia. He joined Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition in 1907 as physicist and surveyor. In 1908 he undertook a sledge journey with two others on which they reached the magnetic south pole. In doing this, they travelled 1,260 miles in 109 days. Mawson and Professor David, one of his comrades, also climbed Mount Erebus which is 13,970 feet high.

Mawson then led an Australian expedition in the Aurora to survey Adelie Land and South Victoria Land. They set off on 2^nd December 1911. Mawson’s successes sound modest when set against the excitement and tragedy of Shackleton and Scott’s expeditions but then he was successful whilst they failed in their objectives.

Once he reached the Antarctic circle he began to chart the area. His findings would be invaluable for future expeditions. He set up two bases, one at Camp Denison and the other, under Frank Wild, further west.

Accompanying the expedition was the photographer Frank Hurley, who also went with Shackleton. The weather at these tow bases was appalling during the stay of the expedition. Winds of over 100 mph battered the huts and Hurley took photographs of the men leaning against these winds at incredible angles (head level with their hips).

Mawson then undertook his famous but tragic sledge journey with Mertz, a well known mountaineer and ski running champion of Switzerland and Lieutenant Ninnis.

The journey was 600 miles there and back. Mawson took 17 dogs and 1,700 lbs of equipment. Their journey took them to a height of 2,500 feet and Mawson mapped two huge glaciers, named after his colleagues. Then the problems began. One dog was lost in a crevasse. Another 4 were killed. They nearly lost a sledge but succeeded in retrieving it. They pushed on but on 14^th December 1912 Ninnis and his sledge fell through a snow bridge and was lost. The other two now only had a tent cover to protect them from the elements.

They headed back to Cape Dennison but were short of food. They began to eat their dogs which led them to overdose on vitamin A. piece. Mertz died of exhaustion. Mawson had eaten the last of the dogs and was slowly starving to death but over 100 miles from base. Every morning he had to reattach the soles of his feet, which had become separated from the overlying flesh.

Several times on the journey back he fell down crevasses. Once it seemed like he would be killed but the sledge to which he was attached anchored in a drift and stopped his fall. Unfortunately he was swinging 14 feet down between sheer walls of ice, six feet apart. He tried to climb up and drew level with the broken snow bridge. But the snow was crumbling and the whole ledge broke under him and he fell again. His strength was draining fast, he was growing deadly cold. Soon it would be all over and done with. He tried once more and this time he managed to climb the rope.

Eventually he stumbled upon a mound where a bag of food had been left for him by a search party. The party had also left news that the Aurora had returned after the winter. He arrived at Cape Denison to find the Aurora had sailed and spent a second winter in a hut with six others. Their only other company consisted of radio broadcasts to mainland Australia. Mawson was the first explorer to establish radio communication in Antarctica.

Mawson returned to antarctica in 1930, when he explored Enderby Land.

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