Arnold Patrick Spencer-Smith (17 March 1883 – 9 March 1916) was an English clergyman and amateur photographer who joined

Sir Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of An ...

's 1914–1917

Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917 is considered to be the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing ...

as chaplain on the

Ross Sea party The Ross Sea party was a component of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Its task was to lay a series of supply depots across the Great Ice Barrier from the Ross Sea to the Beardmore Glacier, along the polar ...

, who were tasked with laying a chain of depots across the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between hi ...

towards the Beardmore Glacier for Shackleton's intended crossing party. On the trail, Spencer-Smith fell ill with

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 ...

at 83° south and left alone in a tent for 10 days while the others continued on to lay the last depot. After their return he was pulled on a sledge back towards the base at

Cape Evans Cape Evans is a rocky cape on the west side of Ross Island, Antarctica, forming the north side of the entrance to Erebus Bay. History The cape was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, under Robert Falcon Scott, wh ...

, but died on the journey in March 1916. Cape Spencer-Smith on

White Island White Island may refer to: Places Oceania *Whakaari / White Island, volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand **2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption *White Island (Otago), Dunedin, New Zealand North America *White Island, Paget, Bermuda ...

in the

Ross Archipelago Ross Archipelago () is a name for that group of islands which, together with the ice shelf between them, forms the eastern and southern boundaries of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The most northerly is Beaufort Island, then comes Ross Island, the D ...

is named in his honour.

Early life and education

Spencer-Smith was born on 17 March 1883, in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England. He shared a birthday with

Lawrence Oates Lawrence Edward Grace "Titus" Oates (17 March 188017 March 1912) was a British army officer, and later an Antarctic explorer, who died from hypothermia

, who died on his return from the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

with

Robert Falcon Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott, , (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated ''Terra Nov ...

on the ''Terra Nova'' Expedition. His sister, Joan Spencer-Smith (1891–1965), was a notable New Zealand Anglican deaconess and lecturer. He was educated at

Westminster City School Westminster City School is a state-funded secondary academy for boys, with a mixed sixth form, in Westminster, London. The school educates over 800 students, with links to more than 100 different cultures, in a central London location. The sch ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

(1903–1906). He did not attend his exams and was given a pass degree BA in history. He was a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

Career

After a few years of teaching at

Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh Merchiston ( ) is a residential area around Merchiston Avenue in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Location Merchiston Avenue is 1.3 miles Southwest of the West End of Edinburgh's principal street, Princes Street. Other areas near Merchi ...

, Spencer-Smith was ordained as deacon into the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

in 1910 by the Most Rev

Walter Robberds Walter John Forbes Robberds (6 September 1863 - 16 August 1944) was an Anglican bishop. Life and ministry He was born in Baharampur. He was educated at Trinity College, Glenalmond, and Keble College, Oxford. He was ordained deacon after studyi ...

at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. He served as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

of Christ Church, Morningside (1910–1912), and All Saints, Edinburgh (1913–1914). He was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

by the Bishop of Edinburgh, the Rt Rev

Somerset Walpole George Henry Somerset Walpole (9 November 1854 – 4 March 1929), known as Somerset Walpole was an Anglican priest, bishop, teacher and author. After early service in the west of England he moved first to Auckland, New Zealand, and then to New Y ...

, at All Saints' Church Edinburgh shortly before leaving to join the on its voyage to the

Great Ice Barrier The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between hi ...

Ross Sea party

Spencer-Smith's interest in travelling to Antarctica may have been kindled as a student at Woodbridge Grammar School in Suffolk. A 1899 school lecture given by a W. W. Mumford on "Arctic Travel & Adventure" touched on the travels of explorers in the Arctic regions, some who perished in their attempts to reach the North Pole and others who died searching for the North-West passage. Spencer-Smith wrote a report of the lecture for his school magazine. However, it is unclear how he came to join Shackleton's expedition. One version is that he had wanted to enlist in the army at the outbreak of war, but as a clergyman was barred from combatant service. He therefore volunteered himself to Shackleton as a replacement for one of the original party who had left for active service. After arrival in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

his unfamiliarity with polar work and limited physical stamina were in evidence during the first depot-laying journey of January–March 1915, before he was sent back to base by expedition leader

Aeneas Mackintosh Aeneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh (1 July 1879 – 8 May 1916) was a British Merchant Navy officer and Antarctic explorer, who commanded the Ross Sea party as part of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–1917. T ...

. During the 1915 winter season he worked at the

base, mainly in the darkroom where he sometimes held religious services. The circumstances of the expedition, after the depletion of the shore party following the loss of in May 1915, meant that Spencer-Smith was required for the main depot journey to the Beardmore Glacier during the 1915–1916 summer season, irrespective of his physical limitations. In this he showed no reluctance and worked tirelessly. However, worn down by the preliminary work of hauling stores up to the base depot at

Minna Bluff Minna Bluff is a rocky promontory at the eastern end of a volcanic Antarctic peninsula projecting deep into the Ross Ice Shelf at . It forms a long, narrow arm which culminates in a south-pointing hook feature (Minna Hook), and is the subject of re ...

during the four-month period September–December 1915, and the effects of scurvy, he was unable to sustain the physical effort required on the main depot-laying journey south, and collapsed before the Beardmore was reached. Thereafter he had to be carried on the sledge, unable to help himself and dependent on

Ernest Wild Henry Ernest Wild AM (10 August 1879 – 10 March 1918), known as Ernest Wild, was a British Royal Naval seaman and Antarctic explorer, a younger brother of Frank Wild. Unlike his more renowned brother, who went south on five occasions, Ernes ...

for his most basic needs. The party nevertheless completed its depot-laying mission and struggled back northward in worsening weather conditions, each man growing weaker as

took hold, and progress forward was with acute difficulty. Spencer-Smith, uncomplaining but in the latter stages occasionally delirious, died on the Barrier on 9 March 1916, aged 32, two days before the safety of

Hut Point A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hid ...

was finally reached. He was buried in the ice. Spencer-Smith's condition, along with his expedition leader

, weakened well before the other man in their three-man hauling party,

. A logical reason why Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith succumbed to scurvy before Wild was their "dislike" of seal meat. At one time some freshly cooked seal meat was brought out for these three men when they were on the Barrier but Wild was the only man to take full advantage of this opportunity to eat fresh food. Both Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith exhibited their dislike of seal meat at this time, as they had before during the previous winter when at the Cape Evans hut. However, Spencer-Smith's health was poor. On 16 February 1915, in his early days of sledging he noted: "I am a little strained on the left side intercostals, I hope, no heart, and shall have to be careful." In August 1915, before the second season of sledging started, Spencer-Smith was seen to be "perfectly sound in body and limb" but did have "an intermittent heart". He was told he could go sledging but if he felt any effects of his heart he was to turn back at the earliest possible moment.McOrist, p. 141. Spencer-Smith was unmarried. He dedicated a final diary entry, 7 March 1916, to his father, mother, brothers and sisters. He was awarded the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It w ...

in silver posthumously. Spencer-Smith's diaries are held at

Canterbury Museum, Christchurch The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the city's Cultural Precinct. The museum was established in 1867 with Julius von Haast – whose collection formed its core – as its first director ...

, and the

Scott Polar Research Institute The Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide. It is a sub-department of the Department of Geography in the University of Cambridge, located on Lensfield Road in the south o ...

, Cambridge.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* Bickel, Lennard: ''Shackleton's Forgotten Men'' Random House, London 2001 * Fisher, M and J: ''Shackleton'' James Barrie Books, London 1957 * Harrowfield, David and McElrea, Richard ''Polar Castaways: The Ross Sea Party of Sir Ernest Shackleton, 1914–17'' McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004 * McOrist, Wilson: ''Shackleton's Heroes'' The Robson Press, an imprint of Biteback Publishing, London 2015. . * Huntford, Roland: ''Shackleton'' Hodder & Stoughton, London 1985 * Tyler-Lewis, Kelly: ''The Lost Men'' Bloomsbury Publications, London 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer-Smith, Arnold 1883 births 1916 deaths Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Antarctic expedition deaths Deaths from scurvy English polar explorers Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition People from Balham Photographers from London Recipients of the Polar Medal Scottish Episcopalian priests