Sir Philip Lee Brocklehurst, 2nd Baronet (7 March 1887 – 28 January 1975) is known particularly as a member of the

Nimrod Expedition The ''Nimrod'' Expedition of 1907–1909, otherwise known as the British Antarctic Expedition, was the first of three successful expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton and his second expedition to the Antarctic. Its main target, ...

in Antarctica of 1907–1909, led by

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 ...

Early life

He was born at Swythamley Park, Staffordshire, in 1887. His grandfather John Brocklehurst had a silk weaving business in

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

and was a Member of Parliament; his father Philip Lancaster Brocklehurst was created a baronet in 1903. Philip Lee succeeded to the title, as "2nd Baronet Brocklehurst, of Swythamley Park, Leek, Staffordshire", on 10 May 1904.Macclesfield no. 1
Sites by Craig Thornber, accessed 1 December 2015.
Wincle, accessed 1 December 2015. In 1904 he joined the Territorial Army in the

Derbyshire Yeomanry The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a cavalry regiment and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two reconnaissance regiments in the Second World Wa ...

, where he was later promoted to major in March 1916 and colonel in 1924. Brocklehurst was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

, where he left without taking a degree. He represented Cambridge University at boxing in 1905, 1906 and 1907 as a lightweight against Oxford University, and obtained a half blue.Brocklehurst Brothers
Staffordshire:The Great War, accessed 1 December 2015.

Nimrod Expedition

Ernest Shackleton, looking for members of his proposed expedition to Antarctica, met Brocklehurst in London in 1906, and was impressed by his boxing achievements. Brocklehurst offered to contribute to the expedition funds. The appointment was confirmed in May 1907; he was Assistant Geologist.
Cool Antarctica, accessed 30 November 2015. He travelled independently, paying for a first class passage to New Zealand, where he joined the other members of the expedition on the ''Nimrod''. After a base was established in Antarctica at

Cape Royds Cape Royds is a dark rock cape forming the western extremity of Ross Island, facing on McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. It was discovered by the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904) and named for Lieutenant Charles Royds, Royal Navy, who acted as meteor ...

in February 1908, he was one of a party which climbed the volcano

Mount Erebus Mount Erebus () is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica (after Mount Sidley), the highest active volcano in Antarctica, and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It is the sixth-highest ultra mountain on the continent. With a summ ...

(unclimbed until then). The party of

Edgeworth David Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David (28 January 1858 – 28 August 1934) was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter V ...

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 ...

Alistair Mackay Alistair Forbes Mackay (22 February 1878 – ) was a Scottish physician, biologist, and polar explorer known for being the first, along with Australians Douglas Mawson and Edgeworth David, to reach the South Magnetic Pole on 16 Janua ...

Eric Marshall Lieutenant Colonel Eric Marshall (29 May 1879 – 26 February 1963) was a British Army doctor and Antarctic explorer with the Nimrod Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1907–09, and was one of the party of four men (Marshall, Shackleton, ...

, Brocklehurst and Jameson Adams started on 5 March. Brocklehurst suffered from frostbitten feet, and was unable to complete the climb; the others reached the summit on 10 March. Afterwards, a big toe had to be amputated because of frostbite. He was not chosen for the polar party, but was part of the support party which accompanied them for part of the way. The four-man polar party, intending to reach 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 ...

, eventually reached a

Farthest South Farthest South refers to the most southerly latitude reached by explorers before the first successful expedition to the South Pole in 1911. Significant steps on the road to the pole were the discovery of lands south of Cape Horn in 1619, Captai ...

latitude of 88° 23' S, from the pole. Brocklehurst, as a member of the shore party of the expedition, was awarded the Silver

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 1909.

After the Nimrod Expedition

On 9 July 1913 Brocklehurst married Gwladys Murray, daughter of Colonel Charles Edward Gostling Murray. They were divorced in 1947.Page 2239
The Peerage, accessed 1 December 2015. He planned to join 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 ...

in 1914. However he gained a commission in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards, and he sailed to Flanders in October 1914. He was shot in the left shoulder after 11 days in Belgium, and after recuperating in London he returned in February 1915. In 1918 he transferred to the 9th Sudanese Battalion of the Egyptian Army, where he served for two years. During the 1930s, Brocklehurst and his wife, and an estate employee, travelled in a car across the Sahara Desert. In the Second World War, he commanded the 2nd regiment of the Mechanised Brigade of the

Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 195 ...

and later joined the British Council for Palestine-Transjordan.Book brings Staffordshire brothers' journeys to life
''The Sentinel'', 24 October 2009.

Arms

References

Cited sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brocklehurst, Philip 1887 births 1975 deaths People from Leek, Staffordshire

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Explorers of Antarctica Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom