A memorial to polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton will travel more than 7,000 miles to Scotland to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth.
The wooden cross from the Shackleton memorial at Hope Point on the island of South Georgia will soon be on display at Discovery Point, a museum in Dundee where the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery, which first transported the explorer to Antarctica in 1901.
Shackleton was born in Kilkea, Ireland, in 1874. He died in January 1922, aged 47, after suffering a heart attack aboard his expedition ship, the Quest, in South Georgia, a southern UK overseas territory. of the Atlantic Ocean.
Crew members of the Shackleton-Rowett expedition erected a memorial at Hope Point, near his final resting place in Grytviken Cemetery.
The Hope Cross was built at the nearby whaling station of Grytviken by crew members who were unable to attend the funeral of the expedition leader, whom they called The Boss.
The memorial marker and cross allowed them to pay their respects by placing a signed group photograph among the rocks.
The cross remained at Hope Point for nearly 100 years, before the decision was made in 2018 to remove it for preservation. It was replaced by a replica.
The original cross – measuring almost three meters high and weighing approximately 30kg – was carried aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough earlier this year to begin the 7,000-mile journey and is due to arrive in Dundee in August, where a service will be held to celebrate his arrival at the home of RRS Discovery.
The trip is a collaboration between the Dundee Heritage Trust (DHT), the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI).
The DHT is appealing to raise funds £10,000 for the care of the cross at Discovery Point.
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Laura Willis, chief executive of the islands’ government, said: “This unique object embodies the spirit of exploration and resistance that has defined these islands since their discovery almost 300 years ago, through generations of whalers, adventurers, ecologists and conservationists who continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge of subpolar regions to the present day.
“We hope that its exposure to a wider audience will inspire visitors, enthusiasts and future generations to contemplate and appreciate the enduring legacy of one of the world’s greatest explorers, as well as the indomitable strength of the human spirit.”
Emma Halford-Forbes, director of heritage and exhibitions at DHT, said the trust has “exciting plans” for a capital redevelopment of Discovery Point, including a new permanent polar exhibition, Drawn to the Pole.
She added: “Our plan is to display the Cross of Hope as part of this new gallery, to make it accessible to a wider audience and to create a respectful and reflective opportunity to pause and remember not just Shackleton, but all explorers of Antarctica of the past.”
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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