Morton Henry Moyes (29 June 1886 – 20 September 1981) was an Australian Antarctic explorer and naval officer. Moyes was born in Koolunga to headmaster John Moyes and Ellen Jane, ''née'' Stoward. Two of his brothers were John Stoward Moyes, who became an Anglican bishop, and Alban George (Johnnie) Moyes, a first class cricketer and journalist. Morton attended the Collegiate School of St Peter in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

in 1910, having represented South Australia in athletic championships. His geology lecturer,

Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...

, had a profound impact on him and he successfully applied to join Mawson's

Australasian Antarctic expedition The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was a 1911–1914 expedition headed by Douglas Mawson that explored the largely uncharted Antarctic coast due south of Australia. Mawson had been inspired to lead his own venture by his experiences on Ernest ...

in 1911 as meteorologist for

Frank Wild John Robert Francis Wild (18 April 1873 – 19 August 1939), known as Frank Wild, was an English sailor and explorer. He participated in five expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, for which he was awar ...

's western base. In November 1912, Wild's group left on a sledging trip with Moyes remaining at the hut; the trip ended up taking nine weeks when the sled was lost. Moyes returned to Australia in March 1913 as headmaster of University Coaching College in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. In February 1914 he was recruited as naval instructor for the new

Royal Australian Naval College The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), commonly known as HMAS Creswell, is the naval academy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It consists of the RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range an ...

, moving from mathematics to navigation in 1915. In January 1916 he was promoted senior naval instructor and was navigating officer of Captain

John King Davis John King Davis (19 February 1884 – 8 May 1967) was an English-born Australian explorer and navigator notable for his work captaining exploration ships in Antarctic waters as well as for establishing meteorological stations on Macquar ...

's ship the ''

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'' on its December rescue mission for members of

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 ...

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 ...

. Moyes twice attempted to leave the naval college to enlist but was refused; in October 1918, when his resignation was finally accepted, the war was all but over. He married Miriam Esther King at St James' Church in Sydney on 11 January 1919. Moyes returned to the navy as an instructor lieutenant with seniority; he was promoted instructor lieutenant-commander in 1920 and commander in 1924. Mawson requested Moyes for the

British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition The British Australian (and) New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) was a research expedition into Antarctica between 1929 and 1931, involving two voyages over consecutive Austral summers. It was a British Commonwealth initiative, dr ...

in September 1929, although Davis felt he lacked the training for a ship's officer and he became survey officer. Moyes did not undertake the second expedition in November 1930 but instead returned to the navy. He was fleet instructor officer aboard for six years before becoming the navy's first (acting) instructor captain in June 1941. He was the first director of educational and vocational training at Navy College, Melbourne, being appointed in November 1943 (his age and seniority precluded him from undertaking active sea service). He left the navy in 1946 and became chief rehabilitation officer for the Commonwealth, retiring in 1951. Moyes, who was president of the Geographical Society of New South Wales from 1933 to 1935, was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1935 and in his retirement published memoirs of his Antarctic travels. He died in Sydney in 1981 and was cremated at Roseville. Several Antarctic geographical features, including

Moyes Peak Moyes Peak () is a small rock peak projecting slightly above the ice sheet 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) north of Pearce Peak, 12 nautical miles (22 km) southwest of Falla Bluff. Discovered in February 1931 by the British Australian New Zeal ...

and the

Moyes Islands Moyes Islands is a group of small islands lying in the west part of Watt Bay, southeast of Cape-Pigeon Rocks. Discovered by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911–14) under Douglas Mawson, who named them for Morton H. Moyes Morton ...

, are named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moyes, Morton 1886 births 1981 deaths Australasian Antarctic Expedition Australian explorers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Koolunga, South Australia