![Blue Plaque Patrick Keohane](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Blue_Plaque_Patrick_Keohane.jpg)
Patrick Keohane (2 June 1879 – 31 August 1950) was an Irish member of
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 ...
's Antarctic expedition of 1910–1913, the
''Terra Nova'' expedition.
Biography
Patrick Keohane was born in
Courtmacsherry
Courtmacsherry (), often referred to by locals as Courtmac, is a seaside village in County Cork, on the southwest coast of Ireland. It is about 30 miles southwest of Cork, and 15–20 minutes drive east from the town of Clonakilty. The village co ...
,
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, Ireland, in 1879. He joined the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and rose to the rank of petty officer. Served with
Teddy Evans on .
At age 30, he was selected by Teddy Evans to join the
''Terra Nova'' expedition to
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 ...
. He joined the from . On the expedition's main southern journey, he led a pony to the foot of the Beardmore glacier, and then became part of the 12-man manhauling party which began the push towards the pole. He was a member of the first supporting group, along with
Edward L. Atkinson
Edward Leicester Atkinson, (23 November 1881 – 20 February 1929) was a Royal Navy surgeon and Antarctic explorer who was a member of the scientific staff of Captain Scott's Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13. He was in command of the expedit ...
,
Charles S. Wright and
Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard (2 January 1886 – 18 May 1959) was an English explorer of Antarctica. He was a member of the ''Terra Nova'' expedition and is acclaimed for his 1922 account of this expedition, '' The Worst Journey in t ...
, to be sent back at 85° 15’ South on 22 December 1911. On their journey back to
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, ...
, Keohane fell down crevasses to the full length of his harness eight times in 25 minutes. According to Cherry-Garrard, Keohane "looked a bit dazed" after that ordeal. They successfully reached
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 ...
on 26 January 1912.
On 27 March 1912, Keohane, along with Atkinson, attempted to find Scott and his polar party and bring them back to Cape Evans from the One Ton supply depot. Starting at Hut Point, the party only made it to a point south of Corner Camp.
There they left a week's provisions and returned to Cape Evans on 1 April. On 29 October, after spending the winter on the continent, Keohane was among a party that went to search for Scott's group. On 12 November, they found the frozen bodies of Scott,
Edward Adrian Wilson
Edward Adrian Wilson (23 July 1872 – 29 March 1912) was an English polar explorer, ornithologist, natural historian, physician and artist.
Early life
Born in Cheltenham on 23 July 1872, Wilson was the second son and fifth child of ...
, and
Henry Robertson Bowers
Henry Robertson Bowers (29 July 1883 – c. 29 March 1912) was one of Robert Falcon Scott's polar party on the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913, all of whom died during their return from the South Pole.
Early life
Bowers was b ...
eleven miles south of the One Ton supply depot.
The party sailed on the ''Terra Nova'' from Cape Evans for the last time on 22 January 1913. The ship arrived in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
on 14 June. After his return, Keohane joined the
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
service. He served as the district officer of coastguards for the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. He later rejoined the Royal Navy and served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Keohane died in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
in 1950, at the age of 71.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keohane, Patrick
1879 births
1950 deaths
Irish Antarctic explorers
People from County Cork
Royal Navy sailors
Terra Nova expedition
Royal Navy personnel of World War I