Mertz & I...: The Antarctic Diary of Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis - Hardcover

Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1852971169 ISBN 13: 9781852971168

Publisher: Erskine Press

Synopsis

MERTZ & 1... The antarctic Diary of Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis On the afternoon of 10 November 1912, the Far Eastern Party of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, consisting of three men and seventeen dogs set off on a sledging trip. The men were Douglas Mawson, Xavier Mertz and Belgrave Ninnis. Two of these men tragically died, and only the leader, Douglas Mawson, returned after what has been described as the greatest survival story in the history of exploration . Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis was born on 22 June 1887. His father became Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleet for the Royal Navy and earlier had sailed as ship s surgeon on Discovery on the 1875-76 British Arctic Expedition led by Captain George Nares. It is evident from his diary that the young Ninnis was determined to follow in his father s steps as a polar explorer though he had enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers. Inside the diary is the story of a young man and his determined and ultimately successful attempt to become a polar explorer. It is a continuous record, from March 1908 to the final entry on 9 November 1912, though this book concentrates on his Antarctic endeavours. It is also the story of a fairly self-opinionated and arrogant young man who came through participation in this remarkable polar adventure to be liked and admired by his comrades. From the period of his acceptance on the expedition he focused on the enormity of the challenge ahead, and the diary provides a detailed record of the preparations, the voyage and the expedition itself. Ninnis forged a strong bond with Xavier Mertz, who was 28, a graduate the universities of Leipzig and Basel, and was at the time living in Switzerland. He was also a champion skier, which was one of the reasons why Mawson had selected him. He was, in due course, to instruct the expedition members in the rudiments of ski travel prior to the commencement of the sledging expeditions from Cape Denison

Edition details

• Publisher: Erskine Press
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1852971169
• ISBN 13: 9781852971168
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448
• Editor: Allan Mornement, Beau Riffenburgh