Charles Green (24 November 1888 – 26 September 1974), also known as Charlie Green, was a British ship's cook who took part in Sir Ernest Shackleton's

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 the cook for the Weddell sea party on board the ''Endurance''. The son of a master baker, Charles learnt to bake, but ran away at the age of 22 to join the Merchant Navy. At an unknown time in his life, Green had an accident which resulted in the loss of one of his

testicle A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

s. This resulted in Green having a somewhat squeaky and high-pitched voice, which was the source of jokes amongst his fellow crew aboard the Endurance. Whilst in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

on board the ''Andes'' in October 1914, he heard word that Shackleton had fired the expedition's cook, for drunkenness, and was subsequently hired. Green was described as "conscientious almost to the point of being single-minded" with a "frail" disposition. During the expedition, Green was assisted by

able seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

Perce Blackborow Perce Blackborow (1896–1949) was a Welsh sailor and a stowaway on Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917. Biography Blackborow was born in 1896 in Newport, Monmouthshire. Intruder on ''Endurance'' B ...

, who had come on board as a stowaway. Green, though subject to "ribbing" from his crew mates, was nonetheless looked upon as a well-liked member of the expedition. His nicknames onboard included Chef or Cookie. He was also sometimes called "Doughballs" due to his high-pitched voice. During the three hours a day that the men worked during their time stuck in the Antarctic pack ice, Green and Blackborow were working day and night in the galley. When the ship sank after being trapped in the ice, he continued to cook for the crew during their camps on the ice, with limited equipment which included a blubber stove. A few days after the crew arrived on

Elephant Island Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean. The island is situated north-northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, west-so ...

, Green collapsed from exhaustion, and was ordered to rest until he recovered. After the crew were rescued, Green returned to England, though with great difficulty acquiring passage. Upon his arrival, he discovered his parents had cashed out his insurance policy, and his girlfriend had married another man. He joined the Royal Navy as a cook, taking part in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was wounded in August 1918 whilst serving on the Destroyer H.M.S. ''Wakeful'', and re-joined the Merchant Navy in 1919. Green was invited to re-join Shackleton on another expedition to Antarctica, the

Shackleton–Rowett Expedition The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as the ' ...

, along with many other crew members from ''Endurance''. During this trip, Shackleton gave Green a set of

lantern slides The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a sin ...

before his death shortly after arrival at South Georgia. The expedition continued without Shackleton, but was not a great success. After returning to England in 1922, Green once again rejoined the Merchant Navy, working on board a variety of ships until his retirement in 1931. Green would use the slides given by Shackleton years before to give lectures and tours about the Endurance expedition later in life. He became a Fire Watcher during World War II within the city of Hull. Green was one of the last surviving members of the ''Endurance'' crew, and attended the 50th Anniversary reunion in 1964 with the two remaining survivors. He died at the age of 85 of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

in Hull.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Charles 1888 births 1974 deaths Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Recipients of the Polar Medal British Merchant Navy personnel