Adam Ayles (1850 – 4 April 1912) was an Arctic explorer who served under

George Nares Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares (24 April 1831 – 15 January 1915) was a Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded the ''Challenger'' Expedition, and the British Arctic Expedition. He was highly thought of as a leader an ...

as the Petty Officer of HMS ''Alert'' in the British Arctic Expedition. Ayles was born of an unmarried mother at

Marnhull Marnhull ( ) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, north of Sturminster Newton. The resort towns of Bournemouth and Weymouth are approximately south. Marnhull is sited on a l ...

, Dorset. He left school at age twelve and worked on a farm for a few years. He joined the British navy in 1867 and served in fighting in Ethiopia that year. He served on the British Arctic Expedition from 1875 to 1876. He was the one member of the expedition that did not succumb to

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

, and walked more than 100 miles across the ice to get relief to the others. The Ayles Ice Shelf and

Mount Ayles Mount Ayles is a mountain located on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. It forms part of the border of the Quttinirpaaq National Park. Like the nearby Ayles Ice Shelf, the mountain was named by the Geological Survey of Canada in 1965 for Adam Ay ...

were both named after him. It was noted at the time that he was the only teetotaller on the expedition, and ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' celebrated his achievement in verse: A health to gallant Adam Ayles,
Who o'er the topers still prevails,
From scurvy safe and Arctic gales,
Through drinking only Adam's Ales. Ayles later lived in New Zealand. He died suddenly while at his work tending the bowling green at the Rocky Nook Bowling Club in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayles, Adam 1850 births 1912 deaths Explorers of the Arctic English polar explorers